Shield and Sword
by BannaMan
Summary: Iriamu Yūsutasu is your average law abiding Japanese citizen. Nothing interesting happens in his past, nor in his future, he is just normal. Though with the release of SAO, he's forced to become something much more than that, a hero. With his newly found friends, Haruto, Yoko, and later Keiko, he'll survive the Death Game, and hopefully save as many people as he can in the process
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1- Welcome to the Swordland**_

 _ **A/N A huge, HUGE, rewrite of chapter 1.**_

 _Narita, Chiba Prefecture, Japan_

 _Sunday, November 6th, 2022, 12:40 am_

(The first Line Break!)

Iriamu Yūsutasu **(E-Ri-Ah-Moo You-Sue-Ta-Sue)** raced home has fast has he could on his bike, a bag in the front basket. This was it, the day had finally come for the release of _Sword Art Online!_ He hadn't been more excited in his life! With some convincing from his hesitant parents, Iriamu had convinced them to let him buy, has a early birthday present, _Sword Art Online_ and the _NerveGear_.

The panting 14 year old glanced down at his watch, about 20 minutes till the game servers opened. He leaned the bike slightly as he turned onto his street, pedaling as fast as his feet could carry him. Once he reached his house's driveway, Iriamu threw his bike to the side and sprinted into his house.

He closed the back front door and walked by the kitchen, where his mother is preparing lunch.

"Oh, hey Mom." Iriamu stated hurriedly.

"How's it going, you were gone for some time." His mom asked

"Yeah, the line at _GameGo_ was hours long, I'm glad I left when I did." Iriamu replied while taking off his shoes and putting on his slippers.

"Hey, Iriamu, are you hungry? I'm making curry!" His mother asked Iriamu

"Nope, I'm heading upstairs to setup my new game." Iriamu answered while preparing to sprint upstairs.

"Okay honey, have fun. Be down by 6:30 or I'll skin you!" His mother jokingly stated.

"Yeah, yeah mom. Tell Riku I said hi!" Iriamu called has he jogged upstairs, bag in tow.

The excited teen entered his room and gingerly set down the bag on his bed. He glanced at his watch

12:48

Taking in a brief scan, Iriamu saw the contents of his glorious room. At the far left, stood his double monitoring PC set up. His bed was pushed to the far right, next to his window which the noon sun shone through. The closest was located to left and a dresser was was to his right. The room's walls were of greenish blue color, and besides a couple of his favorite anime posters and shelves, his room was empty.

He still had time. Iriamu quickly dug into the bag and pulled out a box, _the box_. The title of the game, _Sword Art Online_ is on the front cover of the game in front of what looks to be a giant floating castle, he had heard it was called _Aincrad._

Iriamu went to work, his hands a blur, as they opened the game case and put the CD into his computer's CD drive. The game shortcut then soon opened onto desktop, which he promptly clicked.

After signing in to his already made account, Iriamu hastily went to work on the actual _NerveGear._ Grabbing his pocket knife which lay on his shelf, Iriamu was able to roughly get the box open and catch a glimpse at the gorgeous piece of hardware.

Iriamu carefully lifted the _NerveGear_ out of its container. When Iriamu saw the device, he squealed like a stereotypical anime girl and hugged the device. It kinda looked like a pilot helmet, but more complex and with holes all in it. After pulling out the wires and quickly flipping through the manual, Iriamu went to work plugging everything into his computer.

When he, finally, got to put on the helmet, even more work was required. On the HUD in the helmet, a video popped up which said he had to calibrate the gear. The video played and it was a video of someone patting themselves down while wearing the gear.

Iriamu did the same and when that was over with, he laid down on his bed and glanced at the clock.

 _13:01_

Crap! Iriamu quickly stated the words that would seal his fate for 2 years. "Link Start!"

Everything went white for a second, all of a sudden, colors started to shoot by him. Once everything returned to white, circles then appeared with the five senses on each one, the lit up green with okay and once they all were green, they fell away. He could feel his senses slowly leave has he entered this new universe. A bar appeared that said Language: Japanese, that soon disappeared and yet another window popped up which signed him in. Would you like to create a new character? His eyes hovered to yes and a basic character appeared with a window on the right with options.

 _One character later!_  
He looked at name character, he didn't know what to call himself. Iriamu was tempted to use his usual username of AnuseBABY, but this was a new game. New game, new name. U-m-a-i-r-i, Umairi (Oo-Ma-E-Ri). He looked at Done. The game then showed the words Welcome to Sword Art Online, blue light then started to fly by has he entered the game. Light returned to his eyes. He blinked a few times and looked around, he seemed to be in a giant plaza. Yes, he was no longer Iriamu, he was now Umairi.

 **This is a HUGE rewrite to the original version which I didn't realize was bad. This was written by the time of the 16th chapter.**

 **A/N And that ends part One of the chapter, Town of Beginnings. I wanted to keep writing but I had decided to stop halfway because reasons. I know, I know, Iriamu's character name is just his name backwards, I did that on purpose. Here are some answers to questions you may ask.**

 **Q/ What is Iriamu supposed to mean, it's a strange Japanese name.**

 **A/ What I did was put my first and in Google translate and saw what the Japanese translation was. My name is William. The last name will always be mysterious!**

 **Q/ What is with the signing in and calibration stuff, is it canon?**

 **A/ In the anime, they don't specify how you would sign in so I had to make it up. I couldn't find much on it besides what was on the SAO wiki. I'd say mostly.**

 **Q/Why choose that specific place for Iriamu to live?**

 **A/I just chose a random place in Japan**

 **Q/Why does it say that the NerveGear is Iriamu's early b-day gift**

 **A/If you hadn't realized, I based Iriamu loosely on me, my b-day is November 7th**

 **Please follow, Favorite, and review you sexy person, bye!**


	2. Chapter 2

**_Chapter 2- This is a Death Game?_**

 _He blinked a few times and looked around, he seemed to be in a giant plaza. Yes, he was no longer Iriamu, he was now Umairi._

 _(_ Official Line Break)

 _Floor 1_

 _November 6th, 2022, 3:30_

Umairi walked down the bustling street full of vendors and players. He looked around, everyone was in there small groups. This fact made him sigh, his best friend sadly hadn't been able to get the game on release. The sound of running came from behind him and he turned around only to get ran into and knocked to the ground.

"Ow, what the heck bro! Watch where you're going!" Umairi called to whoever knocked him down has he rubbed the wrist he'd landed on.

A hand was extended to him. "Sorry about that, I didn't see you there." The man said. His avatar had long black hair and grey eyes.

Umairi grabbed his hand and was pulled up. "It's fine, just watch where you're going next time, uhh..." The man finished his sentence "Kirito, the names Kirito."

"Okay, Kirito-san, watch where you're going, if this was real life, I could have a broken wrist." He told him, annoyance in his voice.

"I'm really sorry for running into you." Kirito replied sorry obviously written on his face

Umairi then said "it's fine really, just be careful next time."

Kirito nodded and continued on his way, but at a jog instead of a run.

A few shoppers around the area were looking at him making Umairi feel embarrassed. Thankfully everyone eventually went back to there own thing a little while later.

(Quite a Line Break)

 _4:50_

Umairi quickly side stepped dodging the charging boar by a hair. That was to close for comfort. The boar turned around and charged again, this time though, he was ready. He held his sword back until he felt an energy start from the blade. Right before the boar ran into him, he released the energy and his blade shot forward hitting the boar square in the forehead causing its HP bar to turn yellow, to red, to nothing. The beast exploded in a shower of partials and a window popped up above the spot it had died. It had ExP gained, Col earned, and how many items you got. 24 Exp gained, 30 Col earned, and 2 items gained. sword skill was awesome, it allowed for power strikes with any weapon. Oh man, he was in love with SAO. It was so nice to actually move your body in a video game.

"Hey, you there, you okay!" A far away voice yelled. Umairi shot his gaze everywhere, wondering where the voice came from. He spotted 2 figures standing on a hill about 10 meters away. One of the 2 people were waving and started to run over to his position, the other walked. Once the 2 people had reached him, Umairi notice that one of them was a girl , they introduced themselves.

"I'm Haruto and this is my friend, Yoko-chan." Haruto stated chipper like

Umairi was still a little shocked at how open these people were being. "Oh, um, hi Haruto-san, Yoko-san." He nodded respectfully. Haruto shot out his hand for a handshake. Umairi responded by doing the same and shook hands.

Haruto's avatar was tall and muscular with medium length messy brown hair and green eyes. Yoko was practically his polar opposite, in both personality and looks, she had white long hair and red eyes. She was short, about a half a head shorter than Umairi and was lean, she could be a speed person. Compared to his avatar, they were complex. His avatar was about 177cm with messy long (for a guy) hair, brown brown eyes. Unlike some people, he had tried to get his avatar has close to his real life self.

"And you are...?" Haruto asked him impatiently.

Umairi snapped out of his train of thought and replied "Umairi, it's Umairi."

Haruto stepped to Umairi's side and put his arm around his shoulder while looking out into the distance "So Uma, can I call you that? How would you like to join our guild, the coolest, most badass guild ever which we call _Shield and Sword._ " Haruto said has he slowly pointed his free hand at the sky. "We saw the way you handled that boar, that's when I saw some real potential in you." Haruto put his finger on Umairi's leather chestplate "Right, Yoko-chan?" The albino girl mostly stayed out of what was going down but she did nod her head. I looked at her, confused. Why didn't she say much. Haruto noticed his gaze was at Yoko and a sly smile formed on his face "You're already taking an interest in Yoko-chan, Uma? Well, if you think she's good looking now, well wait till you see her in real life." When Umairi realized what he was talking about, his face became surprised "Wait, what are-" Haruto cut him off "Oh it's fine, you can have her. I already have my eyes on someone else." Yoko looked surprisingly calm about this, her facial expression not changing. Umairi was still flustered when Haruto got off him, a big grin on his face. "So will you join us Uma?"

Umairi calmed himself down and thought about this, he needed friends and he would like some company. And besides, what could go wrong. "Sure, I'll join." Umairi replied. A look of peer happiness popped onto Haruto's face as he pulled Umairi into a bear hug, lifting him off the ground. "Put...me...down" Umairi gasped out.

"Oh, sorry, thanks a lot, the more people the better." Haruto stated has he put Umairi back on the ground.

Umairi stopped to take a breath then asked "So, how many people are in your guild?"

"Including us, three people." He replied still happy

Umairi looked at Yoko and asked "Yoko-san, are you okay? Why aren't you talking?"

Haruto quickly piped in before Yoko could do anything "Oh, don't worry about her, she doesn't talk much, in game and real life." He strode over to her and started to pat Yoko on the head "Is that right?" Yoko simply nodded and not much more.

"So do you want to continue killing boars and gaining ExP." Haruto said has held himself high. Yoko simply did nothing while Umairi answered "Sure, I don't see why not." "Okay let me invite you to our party and guild." Haruto replied

A window popped up in front of Umairi which said _Accept Party Invite_. Umairi tapped yes and the window disappeared to soon be followed by a guild invite, which he accepted has well. Umairi looked at the top right where his health bar was and 2 more bars appeared underneath his own. _Haruzilla_ was Haruto's name and Yoko's was simply _Yokoen_. "Okay, onward!" Haruto announced has he pulled his sword out of its sheath and marched forward. Yoko simply followed and Umairi did the same.

(Line Break Drei)

 _5:28_

Umairi followed Yoko and Haruto has they walked. They had been hunting boar and any other wild animals for the past few hours. Then something ominous happened, a bell began to ring. The clouds soon began to block the sun. Everyone knew something was up, even Haruto seemed less happy. Then all of a sudden, the trio were teleported to the city square in a flash of blue particles. It looked like they weren't the only ones, people kept appearing around them. The square was extremely loud has people were confused on why they were teleported here. That's before players started to notice the red tile in the sky. The red tile soon rapidly spread till it covered the entire sky, basking the landscape in red. What came next was even stranger. A red _liquid_ started to ooze through the lines of the hexagonal patterned sky. The liquid soon started to come together and lightning began to spread across it. Soon, there was a massive, robed figure, floating in the sky.

"Attention players." The masked figure said has he raised his arms from his side "Welcome to my world. My name is Kayaba Akihiko. Has of this moment, I am the sole person who can control this world." When the robed figure stopped talking for a second, Umairi could hear murmurs and whispers spread through the group of 10,000 players. Kayaba continued "I'm sure you have already noticed that the logout button is missing from the main menu." The robed gamemaster did a gesture with his left hand and the menu opened. To demonstrate that he was right, he hovered over the place where the logout button should've been. "This is not a defect in the game, I repeat, this is not a defect in the game. This is a _feature_ of _Sword Art Online_!" Umairi heard Haruto whisper to himself "What..." Kayaba continued.

"You can not log yourself out and no one on the outside can shut down or remove the _NerveGear._ Should this be attempted, the transmitter inside the _NerveGear_ will emit a powerful microwave, destroying your brain and thus ending your life." A murmur spread like a wildfire through the crowd. "Several players' friends and families have ignored this warning and have attempted to remove the _NerveGear._ Has a result, 213 players are both gone, from Aincrad, and the real world." This time, it was Umairi who gasped. "Has you can see, News organizations are reporting this, including the deaths." Has Kayaba spoke, floating windows of news pages and videos started to orbit around him. "Thus, now you can say that the danger of the _NerveGear_ being removed is now minimal. I hope that you'll relax and attempt to clear the game. But I want you to remember this clearly, there is no longer a method to revive someone within the game. If your HP drops to 0, your avatar will be forever lost and simultaneously, the _NerveGear_ will destroy your brain." Umairi was in shock, he couldn't believe this stuff. "There's only 1 means of escape, to complete the game." Kayaba opened a giant 3D map of Aincrad. "You are present on lowest floor of Aincrad. Floor 1. If you make your way through the dungeon and defeat the floor boss, you will be able to progress to the next level. Defeat the final boss on floor 100 and you will have cleared the game." Yet again, murmurs spread through crowd. No one had expected _this_. "Finally, I've added a present from me to your item storage. Please see for yourselves." At that moment, the _pings_ of menus being opened came from everywhere. Umairi looked at his item storage. The item was a _mirror._

He clicked the name and the item appeared in his right hand. He tilted it in a few directions but nothing happened. That's when Haruto burst into blue light, then Yoko, he soon joined them. Almost everyone started to scream in panic. When the light died down, Umauri immediately looked for Haruto and Yoko but he couldn't find their avatars. "Hey, Uma, are you- wait who are you." He looked at the voices general direction and instead of seeing Haruto's avatar, he saw someone else. This someone was only 166cm tall with black hair, brown irises, and almond shaped eyes, he was also more on the heavy side. Yoko was next to him and she surprisingly looked similar. She still had white hair and red eyes, but her hair was short and her jaw was more square. Umairi looked Into the mirror in his hand and was shocked to see himself, his _real life self._ His hair was a mixture of combed and messy, his brown eyes looked right back at him and his pale cinnamon skin color was visible, his square jaw was also there. Thankfully he had shaved the night before or he would have had stubble. "Haruto-san, Yoko-chan, are you guys okay?" This time it was Umairi talking. "Yeah, what just happened." Haruto replied "Why would he do this." Kayaba answered him before I could.

"Right now, you're probably wondering why, why would Kayaba Akihiko, developer of _Sword Art Online_ and the _NerveGear_ , do all this. My goal has already been achieved. I created _Sword Art Online_ for 1 reason, to intervene in it." Umairi now saw why, he wanted to play god. "And now, it is complete." Umairi didn't know what emotions to feel now, anger, hatred, fear. It was all jumbled up in his head. "This ends the tutorial for the official _Sword Art Online_ launch, Good luck, players..." Has Kayaba finished his last sentence, a red mist flew away and the robe became distorted then disappeared. Everyone was silent. Then someone broke.

 **A/N And that ends the second chapter of _Shield and Sword_** **, this is officially the longest thing I've ever written so please follow, Favorite, and Review. I do want to say, I have decided to have my character have run-ins with major characters, but not change the overall plot of the show. Your welcome by the way, I spent over 5 hours writing this. Please enjoy you sexy people. PEACE!**


	3. Chapter 3

**_Chapter 3- Town of Beginnings_**

 _Everyone was silent. Then someone broke._

(Enter Line Break)

 _Floor 1_

 _November 6th, 2022_

Before you knew it, mass panic had spread among the 10,000 people in the square. Some were screaming curse words at the sky, some didn't react at all, a couple people even just broke down in hysteria. A brown haired girl in front of Umairi just collapsed. He wanted to do something, no, he _had_ to something. Umairi's personality consisted of 3 things, courage, narcissism, and a sense of duty. Seeing these people like _this_ sickened him.

Umairi turned around and grabbed his newfound companions by the wrist and pulled them towards the square's exit. "Come on, we're leaving." They both followed willingly.

Haruto was distant, he could've cared less, he wasn't his go lucky self like before. Haruto looked almost shell shocked. Surprisingly, Yoko's expression was still neutral, keeping a straight face. "Damn, can anything disturb that girl." Umairi thought to himself has he pushed passed thousands of panicking people, until, finally, he reached the exit. At least some people were smart too and were slipping away.

Umairi made his way through the massive town, looking for an Inn or someplace they could, at least, take a break. After about 5 minutes of walking, Umairi finally found an Inn, _The Sleeping Sheep_. Still holding on tightly to Yoko and Haruto, he entered the small inn. No one was in it, thank god.

"Welcome to _The Sleeping Sheep_ , how may I assist you on this fine day!" The NPC Inn manager chirped. The manager being so happy pissed Umairi off but he didn't have time to deal with this.

"One room please, just for a night." he said while releasing his grip on Haruto, preparing to pay the NPC.

The NPC continued "That will be 50 Col, your room number is 1." A window popped up in front of Umairi which said the same thing, he clicked pay. Umairi, grabbed Haruto's wrist and pulled him toward the room he had purchased. When Umairi reached the door something shocking happened, Yoko talked, well, more of whispered. "Can you let go, you're hurting me." Umairi's brain took a few seconds to comprehend Yoko's soft voice. He later answered "Oh, yes, sorry." Yoko simply nodded has he let go of her wrist.

Umairi used his now free hand to open the door and push Haruto in. Yoko gingerly close the door behind her once she entered. Umairi sat Haruto down on the bed and pulled up a chair. "Hey, Haruto-san, are you okay?" Umairi asked the vacant teen while waving his hand in front of his face. There was no answer and silence followed, Yoko was standing next to Umairi's chair, doing or saying nothing else.

After what felt like hours, Haruto finally said something "Why..." This caught Umairi's attention. "What do you mean-." Haruto cut off Umairi off before he could finish "WHY! What had I done to deserve such a fate." Haruto put his face in his hands. "I have friends, _family._ What if I never get to see them again." Haruto was at the point of sobbing.

"Dude, you gotta stay strong, look at me, I have friends I care about, I have family and do you see me sobbing? No, don't let your family be your weakness, let it be your _strength._ " Umairi made sure to add the emphasis on strength. Umairi didn't know if it worked but it sure has hell shut him up. "Now come on, let's get some sleep, Yoko can get the bed, we'll get the floor." Haruto nodded and started to get up.

Once everyone was settled in, they tried there best to sleep. Within 5 minutes, Umairi could hear Yoko's soft breathing coming from the bed, and about 10 minutes after that, Haruto joined her in sleep. Umairi listened to the inhale of air, then release. What was he going to do, they were stuck in a game where they could die. He could dwell on it later because the sound of Yoko's soft breathing and fatigue finally kicked in, his eyelids felt heavy. Before he knew it, he'd entered the realm of sleep.

(Line breakage of Earthquakeiness)

Umairi woke up to a light in his face, it was early morning. He panicked when he didn't recognize his surroundings until he got his bearing. He propped himself up from his position on the floor and looked around. Yoko was still sleeping silently with her back to him and Haruto was sprawled on the floor near the window. Umairi stretched his back and was greeted with a satisfying sequence of pops. He got up and opened his menu.

 _Send Message_

 _Yokoen_

I'm heading out for a bit, don't freak out of I'm not here when you wake up, and tell Haruto to keep his shit together. -Uma

Umairi sent the message and walked out the rooms door. Has he passed the desk the NPC was at the previous night, he saw no one was there. "Jeez, what time is it?" Umairi mumbles to himself has he swipes his left hand down to check the clock. _5:14 am._ Okay it's not that late. Has Umairi walked out the Inn's front he noticed that not many people were out. "Okay, let's do this..." Umairi said has he took his first steps on the cobblestone road.

 **A/N And that ends the last part of** _ **The Town of Beginnings**_ **chapters. This one was shorter because I just wanted to get it out of the way. My plan for now on is to write a chapter of this every other day, and If I have time, write a chapter for** _ **Chief Talks : The Intellectual The World Doesn't Need, But Deserves.**_ **I want to mention something though, the reason why Yuuki's hair is white is since I want you to imagine this like it is an anime. Strange hair certainly helps. The story is coming along nicely, though since SAO's fan base is smaller than Halo, reviews will come in slower. I also changed my name from BannaMan117 to the more attractive BannaMan-Desu. Please enjoy you sexy beast!**


	4. Chapter 4

**_Chapter 4- Planning our Next Move_**

 _"Okay, let's do this..." Umairi said has he took his first steps on the cobblestone road._

(Lineiest Break in the history of Line Breaks)

 _Floor 1_

 _November 7th, 2022_

Umairi walked towards the entrance of _The Sleeping Sheep_ , he had been gone for only an hour since he forgot that he was broke. They needed a way to get some money because only a 100 Col wasn't going to last them very long. Umairi entered the Inn and was greeted by the NPC, but he wasn't alone this time. Another player was currently at the desk. The player was, obviously, a female, with short, light brown hair. Umairi tried to walk past without being noticed but that damn NPC gave him away. The girl turned around and looked at him, she had reddish brown eyes and was surprisingly pretty. She had caught him staring right at her.

Well shit, he had to put himself in an awkward position, it's kinda hard to just walk away when somebody sees you staring at them.

"Uhh, hi." Umairi said, failing horribly at trying to act normal. "How do you do?"

The girl, who couldn't be any age over 12, replied "Good..."

"My names Umairi, what's yours?" Umairi asked still somehow making it sound awkward

"Umm...Silica." She responded being wary of Umairi.

"Silica, like the element Silicon?" Umairi asked has he relaxed, sort of.

"Yeah, like the element. Where did you get your name?" Silica asked, also seeming less tense.

Umairi replied "It's just my real life name spelled backwards."

"So your real life name is I-ri-amu? That's an interesting name." She responded, almost all tension leaving her atmosphere.

"Yeah, I don't know where my parents got it from, but I don't question it." Umairi responded.

He walked up to Silica and extended a hand for a handshake. She took his hand and shook it. What really surprised Umairi was how short she was, she was at least a head and a half shorter than him.

"Okay, I got to get back to my friends, I'll see you around." Umairi stated has he let go of her hand and started to walk back to his room.

"Okay, bye!" She called while turning back to the NPC.

Umairi mentally sighed, he thought he had handled that situation pretty well. That was probably the best time he had ever avoided an awkward conversation.

Has he entered room number One, he was immediately greeted by Haruto, who was sitting at the table. "Well, your back." Yoko said nothing, has usually.

"Warm welcome I see. I hope you've finally calmed down." Umairi replied, sarcastically.

Haruto shrugged. "Mostly."

"That's good enough for me." Umairi responded while pulling up a chair and sitting at the table in front of Haruto. "Okay, if we are going to survive this, we need to plan our next move. I say we move to nearest town away from here because soon, the fields will more likely be crawling with players."

"Not a bad plan, but I think we should stay here and gain new members for our guild." Haruto responded matter-of-factly.

"We're only on floor one, and besides, 3 of us versus a couple of monsters, we can handle that." Umairi replied.

"You know what, I don't want to argue, so whatever." Haruto stated while leaning back in the chair and crossing his arms.

Umairi just realized something, today was his birthday, he will be turning 15 at 3:25 pm. "I just remembered something, I'm 15 today." Umairi told no one in general.

"We'll good for you, you're now has old has me and Yoko." Haruto answered, he sounded like he didn't care.

"Thank you, but anyway, we'll be leaving in an hour so rest up." Umairi continued only shrugging off Haruto venous remark.

"I still think we should get more members." Haruto mumbled to himself.

"Like I said, we're 3 people, we can handle it." Umairi answered, even if the question was rhetorical.

(Ze Line Break)

 _2 hours later_

"God damn-" Umairi cried has he jumped backwards, barely avoiding the dire wolf's bite. Yoko was standing far behind him, Haruto's health was in the red and was next to her. Umairi kicked back another wolf and used his bastard sword to swing at another. 1, maybe even 2 wolves they could handle, but a _whole pack._ He didn't have a shield since It would hinder his movements, which would have be really useful now.

The wolves backed off for a second, giving him at least some time for a breath. "I could really use some help, Yoko!" He yelled while preparing for the attack. Umairi saw the first few wolves creep their way towards him, getting ready to pounce. Just has it shot up, a blur flew by and killed it instantly. Before he knew it, all the wolves were dead, windows above their death spots showing the reward gained from them dying. The unknown killer turned out to be Yoko.

Umairi sat there, his jaw practically to the ground. "Wha...Wha..." Umairi didn't know how to react.

Yoko simply nodded and put her one-handed sword back in its scabbard. She walked pass Umairi and whispered "You're welcome."

 **A/N That is the end of chapter 4, Planning. I know, I'm not the best writer, but this story is outside my comfort zone, okay. I'm the comedy writer trying to write something serious and in the end, I still end up making jokes. I thought having a run in with Silica would be pretty cool and since Umairi is basically me, with a different personality, I thought "How would I act in a situation like that? Awkwardly of course!" I changed Yuuki's name to Yoko since I didn't realize that 2 other characters in the anime already had that name, so yeah, derp move me. By the way, if you don't know what a bastard sword is, it's basically a sword which you can use one or two hands to wield, I also call it a hand-and-a-half sword. Please Follow, Favorite, and Review you gorgeous readers. Bye!**


	5. Chapter 5

**_Chapter 5- The Boss Strategy Meeting_**

 _Yoko simply nodded and put her one-handed sword back in its scabbard. She walked pass Umairi and whispered "You're welcome_."

(Ze Line Break Jr)

 _Floor 1_

 _December 3rd, 2022_

"Come on Yoko, Haruto, the meeting will be starting soon." Umairi called has he waved for the 2 to hurry up. It had already been a month since the start of SAO and by now, Haruto, Yoko, and Umairi had become pretty close friend. After some time, Haruto decided to hand the job has leader to Umairi. Since then, Haruto had finally returned to his old self. For stats, Haruto decided to go down the heavy path and was working for heavy armor and 2 handed. Yoko, which it wasn't very surprising, was leveling agility, endurance, and one handed. Umairi knew from the start what he wanted and already had a firm standing on one handed, agility, and heavy armor.

"Yeah, yeah, we still have about 10 minutes." Haruto called back nonchalantly. Yoko said nothing and her face looked neutral. Once Haruto and Yoko had made it to Umairi, they started walking towards the meeting place. People were finally starting to band together and plan on how to take out the boss.

The guild, _Shield and Sword,_ were currently in the town of _Tolbana_. When the party of 3 had heard of the strategy meeting, they had departed immediately.

When Haruto, Yoko, and Umairi reached the meeting place, they were greeted by the chatter of people in their own groups. They took a seat at the top right of the rows.

About 5 minutes later, somebody walked to the middle of the meeting area and clapped

"Okay, let's get started people!" The person yelled. He had blue hair, blue eyes, and was wearing blue armor. Why did this person love blue so much? He held himself with an air of confidence, a shower of ego, and a sprinkle of leadership.

"Thank you all for coming! My name is Diabel, I like to consider my job has a knight." Diabel continued. Umairi could respect that, even if there wasn't a job system in game. The 45 or so people there started to burst out into giggles. A couple of people even yelled "There is no job system!" and "Are you even taking this seriously?!"

Oh man, he bet Diabel was flustered for a second, but if he was, he continued anyways. Strong leader, Umairi was starting to like him.

Diabel suddenly became really serious. "Today, our party found the boss room at the top of the tower." That shut everyone up pretty damn fast. A atmosphere of shock hovered the area. Even Umairi leaned forward a little bit in surprise.

"We need to defeat the boss, reach the second floor, and tell everyone in the Town of Beginnings that it is possible to beat this game." Diabel stated. Now this is something Umairi really want to hear. Yoko, somehow, still showed no emotion and Haruto's face spelled how Umairi was feeling.

"Everyone present here shares that duty. Do you all agree!" Diabel yelled, trying to get the group riled up. The people at the meeting started to nod and soon began clapping. The clapping intensified and one person even whistled. The group of 3, besides Yoko, even joined in the clapping.

"Alright, then let us begin our planning." Diabel continued when he knew he had the people's support. "Finally some real planning." Umairi thought to himself.

Diabel's next statement made Umairi nervous "First, divide into parties of 6. An ordinary party stands no chance against a Floor Boss" There were only 3 people in their guild. The sound of people talking started to sprout has everyone started to form parties.

"We'll need to form a raid group using multiple parties."

Umairi looked left and right, the only people nearby was a guy with jet black, a one handed sword on his back, and grey eyes and to his left was, what looked to be, a girl wearing a coat with a hood and what looked like a rapier at her side.

The guy scooted towards them and said "You guys got left out too, huh?" Umairi could've replied sarcastically but decided not to.

"Ya think."

"Do you guys mind if I party with you." The black haired teen asked.

Umairi replied "I don't care, do you know anyone else who can join us too?"

"Yeah, that person over there, I'll go ask them." He stated has he walked over to the hooded person. After what was about a minute, the hooded person got up and walked over to us. Umairi opened the invite menu and invited the 2 strangers. They both accepted and their names popped up under the other 3. _Asuna_ and _Kirito_.

Wait, Kirito, Umairi knew that name. "Wait, you're Kirito? I'm the guy you bumped into on the first day."

It took Kirito a few seconds to comprehend what Umairi had just said. When realization hit him, Kirito spoke "Oh, nice to meet you again." Umairi replied "Same."

Umairi then took his attention to the girl "So you're...Asuna, it's nice to meet you."

Asuna looked confused for second "How'd you know my name?"

Umairi replied confused "Haven't you ever been in a party before?" Asuna shook her head no "Oh, well in the top left of your "screen" or whatever it's called, where your health bar is, there should be your party's name and health too."

Once the girl caught on, she replied "Okay, I see." Umairi couldn't see much of her but he did see that she did have chestnut brown hair, pale skin, and brown eyes. Diabel started to talk a little while later.

"Okay, have you formed your parties? Then-" Diabel was cut off by someone who yelled "Just a second!" The sound came from behind everyone. Umairi turned around to investigate and saw a man standing at the top of the stadium thing. He had orange hair which had spikes sticking from it. He looked retarded. The man hopped down the steps, jumped at the one last one, and landed in front of Diabel.

"My name's Kibaou. I wanna say something before we take on the boss. Some of you here need to apologize to the 2000 who have died so far!" What was this guy rambling about. Umairi knew it was very unlikely that anybody was the reason for those people's deaths. Sadly, most people don't.

"Kibaou-san. Are you referring to the beta-testers?" Diabel asked the steaming retard "Of course I am!"

Umairi instantly didn't like this guy. How could the beta-testers be responsible for anything?

"On the day this stupid game started, the beta-testers ditched us beginners, and they all disappeared. They took all the good hunting spots and easy quest for themselves, so only they could get stronger, then ignored the rest of us." Umairi was really confused. If that was true, why haven't we beaten the first boss yet? Mr. Kibaou continued his rant "I'm sure someone here was in the beta! They should get on their knees and apologize, and give up all the items and money they've hoarded." Kibaou pointed his finger at the group. Oh wait, he wasn't done talking.

"Otherwise, we can't trust them to protect us has party members, and we shouldn't trust them." Umairi knew better than to believe him, this was a meeting to take down the first boss, not to apprehend the beta-testers. He didn't even have to be a beta to not like him.

Umairi glanced over to Kirito, he looked slightly shaken, as if he knew something. Kirito then closed his eyes and clenched his jaw, something was definitely up with him, Umairi decided to talk to him about it later.

"May I speak." A deep gruff voice spoke from one of the lower rows. A _huge_ dark-skinned man stood up and walked forward. He looked to be an American and was built like a terminator. Umairi, just by looks, felt like he could trust him.

"Kibaou-san, tell me if I have this right. You're saying that because the beta-testers didn't take care of them, many beginners died. That they should take responsibility, apologize, and provide compensation. Correct?"

Kibaou looked shocked, probably because of Agil's size. "Y-yeah." Agil reached into a pocket and grabbed something out, it looked to be a small book.

"You got this guide book, didn't you? It was provided free at the item store."

Kibaou replied "I did, why?

Agil answered "It was compiled from information given by the beta-testers."

A few people in the crowd gasp. Even Umairi was surprised, he did not know that. A look of peer anger popped on to Kibaou's face has Agil one-upped him. The large black man turned around and spoke "Listen, Everyone had equal access to this information, and even still, many players died. I thought the topic of discussion here was what we could learn from their deaths and how that can help us defeat the boss." Umairi smirked to himself, he liked this guy. He had to bring him out for a drink sometime.

A slight sigh was heard to his left, Umairi knew it was Kirito. Kibaou looked butthurt, he walked over to the first row and sat down with his arms crossed. Diabel finally spoke "All right then, can we resume?" "Finally." Umairi thought to himself. Diabel held up a small book titled in English letters, _Guide Book_

"The latest edition of that guide book was just issued, and it contains information on the boss." Diabel continued uninterrupted "According to it, the boss's name is _Illfang the Kobold Lord_. He is guarded by his assistants known as _Ruin Kobold Sentinels_. He is armed with an axe and a buckler." Diabel read aloud, Umairi listened intently, he could use this. "He has 4 health bars, and when the last one enters red, he switches to a curved sword-type weapon called a _Talwar._ His attack pattern changes, as well." A few people mumbled among themselves.

Diabel closed the book and announced "This concludes the briefing. Lastly, items will be automatically distributed. ExP goes to the party that defeats the monster, and whoever receives an item, keeps it. Any objections?" Nobody answered.

"Okay, we leave tomorrow at 10 in the morning. See you there!" People started getting up. The party of 5 did the same "Okay, let's go find a restaurant." Umairi told the group. The 5 walked down the rows and started their way towards town.

 **A/N That wraps up Chapter 5, The Boss. If anyone wants to know, this is basically a stereotypical SAO self insert. This story is more of an attempt to see if I can write serious stories. I can't think of a good title since all the good ones are taken, so until I think of a good, original, title,** _ **Place Original Title Here**_ **will be the title. Please Favorite, Follow, and Review. Keep calm and go on! Bye!**

 **Edit! I didn't realize that the strategy meeting Actually happened on the third of December so I fixed that...yep...thank you SAO wiki**


	6. Chapter 6

**_Chapter 6- Kirito and Asuna_**

 _"Okay, let's go find a restaurant." Umairi told the group. The 5 walked down the rows and started their way towards town._

 _(_ A Line has been Break)

 _Floor 1_

 _December 3rd, 2022_

The party of 5 sat at a large table, silently eating their food. After much hesitation, Umairi was able to convince them to allow him to pay. Kirito sat by the window in the booth they sat at staring aimlessly at the sky. Asuna still didn't take her hood off and Haruto failed multiple times to get a conversation going.

"So, Kirito-san, What has been going on with you since we last met." Umairi asked, trying to lighten the mood.

Kirito replied "Just leveling up." While still watching the dusk sky.

Haruto chirped in "About that, what exactly happened when you met?"

"Well, Kirito-san was running down the main street on the first day and bumped into me, nothing special." Umairi answered.

"Cool." Well that failed.

Umairi turned his attention to Asuna "So Asuna, how have things been with you lately?"

Asuna simply ignored him and continued to nibble on her biscuit. He would have no luck in getting Yoko to talk and a conversation with Haruto would die quickly. Umairi just gave up and finished up his plate of steak.

 _Later..._

Umairi laid back and sighed, even if eating in game didn't satisfy his real life hunger, it definitely felt like it. Asuna and Kirito were both done and Yoko was almost done. Haruto finished a long time ago.

"I'm going to get us a room at an Inn, you coming Haruto?" Umairi asked while rising from his chair.

Haruto got up has well and replied "Sure."

"We'll message Yoko where our room is, feel free to get your own rooms, Kirito and Asuna." Umairi told everyone, he had decided to drop the formalities since it didn't really matter anyway.

Asuna nodded and Kirito just said "Okay."

 _(_ Stronk Line Break, friend)

 _Floor 1_

 _December 4th, 2022_

Umairi woke up slowly, fatigue still strong in him. "Ohh yeah, the boss, what time is it?" Umairi swiped his left hand down and looked at the clock

 _9:30_

"Ohh Fuuuccc-" He thought to himself he bolted and up and shook Haruto awake. "Haruto! Boss! Wake up! Look at the time!" Haruto slowly returned to his senses and looked at the time. His reaction was the same has Umairi and quickly bolted up.

"Who's gonna wake up Yoko?" Haruto asked, fear spawning in his eyes. "Not me, she's your friend." Umairi answered

"But she likes-." Haruto countered but caught himself at the last second. "I didn't say anything!"

"What were you going to say?" Umairi pressured

"Never mind that, I'll wake her up." Haruto quickly stated. Umairi nodded and Haruto tiptoed his way over to where she was on the bed. He extended a hand to wake her, but before he could touch her, she blocked his hand instantly. Yoko rolled over and sat up, she looked at Umairi then focused her stare at Haruto.

He gulped and stated "We need to leave now, the boss party leaves in 25 minutes." Yoko nodded and got out of bed.

Umairi looked at Haruto and told him "I'll go get Kirito and Asuna." Haruto replied with a look in his eyes that pleaded "Please don't leave her with me."

Umairi left Haruto to his fate.

 _Later..._

The large boss group walked through the dense forest, the party of 5 walked In the very back. Since they hadn't been able to form a full party, they were stuck with killing the boss's minions. Kirito was silently talking with Asuna as they walked. Once the 2 finished their conversation, Yoko walked over to Asuna and tugged her sleeve, Asuna looked at her and Yoko fell behind everyone else. Umairi turned around and looked at them, Yoko seemed to be whispering something has Asuna bent down to hear her. Asuna simply nodded, stood back to her full height and walked back to the main group. He didn't know what was weirder, Yoko talking, or her talking to someone besides me. He'd never seen her talk to Haruto.

 _Floor 1: Boss Room_

The large group stood outside the massive doors, behind it was certainly the death of some of people there. Umairi gulped, after going through the labyrinth, the time had finally come.

Diabel stuck his sword into the ground and turned around "Listen people, I have only one thing to say, let's win!" Determination was obvious everywhere, people were nervous but this had to be done. "Let's go!"

Diabel turned around and put his hand on the door, the massive doors swung open effortlessly, revealing a dark room, a slight silhouette could be seen at the back.

Everyone walked In hesitantly, their swords drawn and ready. Once they all were in, the room lit up, revealing the boss. The door shut behind them. The battle had begun.

 **A/N And the ends this glorious chapter! I'm going to say this now, while I was browsing SAO fanfic, I noticed one story in particular was similar to mine, so I'll like to apologize to the author of** _ **Stee1 and Sw0rd.**_ **I did not know about your story till recently and I haven't read it in hopes of avoiding having too similar stories. But now that that's over with, I'm also sorry for the short chapter, I'm not feeling it today, but I'll make up for this with my first action seen attempt! please don't murder me when you read it. Please Follow, Favorite, and Review you sexy doges. PEACE!**

 **Edit! I fixed up some of the times that I had gotten wrong.**


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter 7- The First Floor Boss Battle**_

 **Quick note: This chapter will be late since I spent my writing time Beta reading, I'll try to make it longer. I have planned out what I want and hopefully, this will be a 35-50 chapter series. Let's get started with the show!**

 _Once they all were in, the room lit up, revealing the boss. The door shut behind them. The battle had begun_.

(Glorious Line Break)

 _Floor 1_

 _December 4th, 2022_

The boss room was extremely bright, almost rainbow. The boss jumped forward, almost across half the room and yelled a mighty roar, the words Illfang the Kobold Lord appeared over his head with 3 health bars. The group stood at ready as they watched the boss, it had to be at least 2 meters tall with reddish skin and an ax. 3 Kobold Sentinels appeared mostly covered in metal armor and wielding what looked like clubs. Illfang roared again and the 4 enemies charged.

"Commence attack!" Diabel called has he raised a sword. All 45 people sprinted towards the boss has well, including the party of 5. Yoko had decided to participate in the battle, or at least that's what Haruto told Umairi.

Umairi held back his sword for a _slash_ attack has he charged picking a Sentinel has his target. When he reached them he noticed that the Sentinels had red skin and a tail like the boss. They were covered in armor besides the area their tales came from and their legs.

Umairi released the sword skill and allowed the system assist to guide him along coupled with the force he threw behind it. The hit connected and a red slash appeared on its shoulder, particles started to leak out. The Kobold Sentinel jumped back to avoid further damage.

Diabel was yelling commands to the main group has they struck at the boss. "Squad A, Squad C, switch!" The 2 squads did has ordered and the bosses health went down by a little, and a little more, and some more. The system seemed to be working.

Umairi didn't have time to watch the main attack because the same Kobold Sentinel charged him, activating his _Vertical_ sword skill by holding his club thing over his head. Umairi prepared to parry the blow. The Sentinel brought the weapon down and Umairi brought his sword up. The Kobold had the full advantage here but Umairi had more planned, when the Kobold's weapon was parried he cried "Switch!" And Yoko shot past him, hitting the Kobold and getting at least 3 hits in the neck before she jumped away to give him room to go in.

Umairi charged his _horizontal_ sword skill and ran towards the Kobold while it was still stunned, he released the skill and let the system assist guide him while he, physically, added extra speed to it. The blade hit the Kobold right in the soft part under its breast plate. The Kobold had multiple red slashes on its body until it burst with a sound like glass, blue particles floated away from its death spot. "Yes!" Umairi cried.

His victory was cut short has another Kobold Sentinel charged him. This time, he went on the offensive and started a _Vertical_ sword skill. Right when the Kobold was in range, it also having a sword skill ready, they both released the skill and their weapons collided. The 2 pushed against each other until Umairi kicked it in the chest, shoving it back.

"Haruto! Switch!" He practically screamed. Haruto came charging in has he launched himself back, preparing to switch again if need be. Umairi quickly glanced over at the other groups, Kirito and Asuna were off fighting their own Kobold Sentinel and the main attack force had the bosses health in the yellow at the last bar.

"So close, come one guys you can do it." Umairi mumbled to himself. Diabel was still giving commands and leading the group like a true leader. Umairi's train of thought was cut short has Haruto yelled "Yoko! Switch!" Yoko sprinted in and released a frenzy of attacks into Kobold until it shattered into blue particles. She backed up and allowed Umairi to go, but he was cut short by something unexpected, the Boss released a loud roar, Umairi glanced at it, it's health in the red on the final bar. Instead of continuing though, Illfang threw away his ax and shield.

"Stand back, I'll go!" Diabel yelled has he charged past the main attack group towards the boss. "What? We're supposed to surround it. What is he doing." Umairi thought to himself has he brought his attention back to the Kobold Sentinels. He defeated the Kobold and glimpsed back at Diabel, he had a sword skill charged and was standing in front of the boss. Illfang pulled out a menacing looking black blade, it looked like a machete. Weird that doesn't look like a Talwar.

Kirito made Umairi jump when he screamed "NO!" At Diabel "Jump back as fast as you can!" Whatever Kirito was trying to stop, it was too late. Illfang got into a stance and jumped up to 1 pillar and kept ping ponging his way between the pillars, confusing Diabel. Before you knew it, Illfang striked down in front of Diabel and striking him across the chest, launching him back with the force. Illfang quickly went in front of Diabel and hit him again like a baseball, launching him the other direction.

Somebody cried "Diabel!" But was cut off has the boss turned his attention towards the main group and roared. Kirito sprinted to where Diabel lay and knelt. Umairi didn't have to time think and had to act fast. The boss was about to swing a sword skill at an unaware player. Umairi sprinted in a charged a _slash_ sword skill, throwing has much force into this has possible. The boss released the blade in a _Horizontal_ strike and Umairi parried the blade. The force was so much that it threw Umairi almost to the back wall.

"No no no no..." He mumbled to himself while watching his HP bar drop from yellow, to orange, to red. He quickly fumbled for for a potion and pulled one out. Umairi drank it quickly. Finally, his health stop dropping, he only had 6 points of HP left. "That was too close for comfort." He took a couple of seconds waiting for the potion to kick in, then groaned while standing up only to be met with things going bad to worst.

Diabel died.

His body burst into a bunch of blue particles and faded away. Kirito rose, he was gripping his sword, the girl, Asuna appeared next to his side. After a few moments they charged. Haruto and Yoko sprinted next to Umairi has they watched what was about to unfold.

Illfang put his sword next to its side and a sword skill activated. Kirito did the same but with a _Slash_. The 2 enemies released the skill and clashed, Kirito, somehow, parried Illfang's blade has sparks flew everywhere. Kirito yelled "Switch!" Has he fell back and landed on the floor. Asuna charged in, her sword skill ready. The boss noticed Asuna and Kirito cried her name. Asuna noticed too and dived out of the way before she could get hit. Illfang only clipped her and destroyed her cloak revealing what what she looked like fully. Asuna strikes the boss, causing it to stagger backwards. Asuna landed and had her sword at the ready.

When Umairi saw her, he was baffled, she was pretty and had long light brown hair with brown eyes and wore red and white clothes. He couldn't see much of her front, but his gut knew she was pretty.

Asuna stood at the ready and Umairi glance over at Kirito, who also looked baffled. "He's coming back" Kirito called while rising from the floor. He ran forward and parried the boss twice until Asuna dived in and got a couple hits as well. The boss gathered itself and pointed an attack towards Asuna, but Kirito quickly intervened, blocking his attack. After one more parry, Kirito had left his whole underside exposed and got hit right on the chest, launching him back. He landed right on Asuna and launched her back has well.

Umairi didn't know what to do, then a plan formed. " Haruto, Yoko, go towards the bosses left side, I'll go down the right! Distract the boss!"

They both nodded and the 3 did as they were told. Flanking Illfang from both sides, he hadn't noticed them yet and was preparing to deliver the finishing blow to Asuna and Kirito. Umairi was about to shoot in between them and stop the boss, but the guy from the meeting, Agil, stepped in parried it.

Umairi continued to run by the flank of the boss. The main party ran in and started to hold the boss back with attacks. Agil said a couple of words to the 2 people and dived into the combat has well. This was his chance, Umairi sprinted towards the boss's right side. Yoko and Haruto doing the same on the left. Umairi started a _Slash_ sword skill has ran, but the boss jumped into the air, forcing him to wait for Illfang to land again.

Before he could do so, Kirito jumped in and hit the boss from the side, throwing him off target. Umairi sprinted in again, his 2 other companions following his lead. He released the blade and so did the other 2 and has Illfang was getting up, was greeted with 3 sword skills. The blades cut into his stomach and left him with a little sliver of health left. Umairi got the hell out of there. Illfang roared angrily, as he recovered only to be met with 2 other sword skills from Kirito and Asuna.

The 2 were in sync, switching without thinking and finishing him off. Kirito threw In the last hit and ran his blade along the body of the boss. Umairi could him Kirito's cry of anger has he killed the boss in one last, powerful, sweep. Illfang was launched into the air where he soon began to glow blue and exploded into blue particles. Everyone sat there, shocked.

"We did." Umairi heard Haruto whisper. "WE DID IT!" Soon, the whole room was filled with cheers has a _Congratulations!_ Sign appeared in the middle of the room. Yes! They had just proven this game was possible to beat. Umairi just couldn't resist grinning and laughing. Haruto turned to him and picked Umairi up in a large bear hug.

"Okay big guy, put me down." Umairi said with a stupidly big grin on his face has Haruto let him down. Umairi glanced over to Yoko and was even more surprised because she had a very, very, _slight_ smile on her face.

So she did have emotions.

Umairi was looking at his stat menu, it got even better! He'd leveled up to level 8. "Yes!" He called and started to do a dance while singing "I leveled up, that's right, I am now now a level 8!" Haruto had also leveled up to 8 has well and the 2 high fived. "So Yoko, did you level up?" Umairi asked Yoko. She nodded and lifted up 7 fingers from her 2 hands to show her level. "Nice, good job out there, you did really good. I think you even saved my life at some point. " Umairi continued, he just barely could detect a faint tint of red show up on her cheeks. Umairi brought his attention over to the main group, everybody was clapping and cheering at Kirito.

Then somebody had to ruin the good mood.

 **A/N and is the end of Chapter 7 people. This was really, REALLY long. Google docs started to slow on my tablet (yes, I write with a tablet). Anyway, I have gained a general idea on where I want this story to go. It's going to focus mainly on the events of Sword Art Online but I also want to have about 10 chapters of what happened after SAO. I was up for about 4 hours writing this so please, PLEASE, enjoy and remember to Favorite, Follow, and Review in that order! Good bye you Daniel Hasselhoff's and see you in the next chapter! *hint* it's called Beater. I wonder why?...**


	8. Chapter 8

_**Chapter 8- The Beater Known As Kirito**_

 **Sorry for the long wait, see the A/N at the bottom for the reason why.**

 _Umairi brought his attention over to the main group, everybody was clapping and cheering at Kirito. Then somebody had to ruin the good mood._

(Line Break in 60 fps!)

 _Floor 1_

 _December 4th, 2022_

"Why." Someone from the main group cried. Everybody stopped cheering and looked towards the direction of the voice. "Why did you let Diabel die?" The voice continued. Umairi then spotted the speaker, Kibaou.

Kirito responded, puzzled. "Let him die?"

Umairi didn't like the way this conversation was going. His gut told him something was about to happen. He glanced to Haruto who looked confused and Yoko who stayed neutral.

Kibaou looked up at Kirito from where he sat on the floor, tears forming in his eyes "Of course! You knew that technique the boss used! If you'd told us about that up front, he wouldn't have died!"

The raid group looked at each other, not knowing how to process this information. Soon people started to point fingers...at Kirito. "He must be a beta-tester!" A person yelled, he was wearing yellow/green under clothes and had a spear on his back. "That's how he knew all the boss's attack patterns. He knew, but he didn't tell us!"

Umairi did _not_ like that guy. He wanted to shout shut up at him, but resisted. Things were soon going to turn soar for Kirito. Umairi slowly started to slide his way towards him, signaling Haruto and Yoko to follow.

Has Umairi sneaked their way to Kirito, the angry man continued "Other beta-testers are here too, right? Come out!" Umairi had to hurry, he was still about 5 meters from Kirito. The raid group started to look around at each other trying to find any other beta-testers among their ranks. If he didn't stop this fast, the group would soon start to turn on themselves.

2 meters, 1 meter.

 _Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha!_

Kirito started to laugh. Umairi stopped, something told him to back away so he did. The main group all turned their attention to the person laughing aloud. "A beta-tester? I wish you wouldn't compare me to those newbies." Kirito stated has he rose from his position on the floor and turned around.

"W-what?!" Kibaou sputtered out. Kirito continued "Most of the thousand beta-testers were beginners who didn't even know how to level up." Umairi was extremely confused, then realization of what Kirito was doing hit him. Kirito was going to try and act the bad guy to turn away the hatred pointed towards other beta-testers. Dangerous, but smart.

Kirito walled forward and the main group split to allow him to continue further. "You guys are better than they are. But I'm not like them." Kirito stopped walking right in front of Kibaou. "I made it higher than anyone else during the beta-test. The reason I knew the boss's skills was because I fought monsters with katana skills on floors far above us. I know a lot more. Way more than any information broker."

"That clever bastard." Umairi thought to himself. "Please don't tell me Haruto believes this." Everyone was in shock at Kirito's words. Umairi glanced at Haruto who had his jaw tensed and his fist clenched. He elbowed Haruto in the side and whispered "Don't believe him, I'll explain later." Haruto only slightly believed him.

"What!? That's way worse than a beta-tester! You're cheating! A cheater!" Kibaou cried out. People in the crowd started to shout their agreement. "A beta-tester and a cheater. A Beater!" Somebody yelled. Umairi could sense the anger over the raid group. Kirito was taking a huge risk here.

Kirito went on with his show "Beater...I like it. I am a Beater." Now everyone's jaw was to the floor, not only had Kirito laughed at them, he accepted the insulting name given to him. Kirito opened his menu and dug through his inventory till he eventually clicked on an item. "For now on, don't confuse me with other testers." Blue particles appeared around Kirito's body and a black coat appeared on him. The coat had no hood but a high collar and went down to the middle of his calf in length.

Kirito smirked at Kibaou and walked away, heading towards the next floor entrance. Kibaou was stunned, not saying any more. Umairi took this chance to jog towards him, Asuna did the same thing. Asuna arrived before Umairi and he heard her cry "Wait!" Kirito stopped walking up the stairs. Umairi arrived soon after next to Asuna and waited for Asuna to finish talking with him.

"How'd you perform that finishing move on the boss?" Asuna asked him. He replied "I just kind...did it. And hey, Asuna, one last thing. If someone you trust ever invites you to join a guild, don't turn them down. There's a huge limit to what you can do as a solo player." Asuna nodded and asked Kirito "Then, what about you?" Kirito ignored her and walked a few more steps, he opened his menu and left the party.

"Hey, Kirito." Umairi called Kirito before he could leave. Kirito turned around has Umairi walked up to him. "If you ever need help, I got your back." Umairi put a hand on his shoulder. "Here, I'll send you a friends request. Call us, has in our guild, for help and we'll come." Umairi finished his sentence and opened his menu. He clicked add friend and sent a friends request towards Kirito. Kirito simply nodded and accepting the request.

"Good luck out there, Kirito." Umairi spoke has he shot out his hand for a handshake. Kirito accepted the handshake, turned around, opened the 2nd floor entrance, and left the boss room.

Umairi made his way back to his companions. When Haruto spotted him, he jogged over to him. "You're going to explain to me what the hell just happened." Haruto spoke, annoyance in his voice, while jabbing a finger onto Umairi's cheat plate. "Okay, I'll explain everything in town." Umairi replied, pushing his hand away. Haruto sternly nodded and started towards the boss room entrance, Umairi followed and so did Yoko. He just hoped Haruto would calm down and they could get some sleep before heading to the 2nd floor.

 **A/N Chapter 8? 9? Whatever it's finally done! I am so, so, so sorry people *bows frantically*. I will be uploading an extra chapter today to make up for the time I was gone. With 4th of July and all I've had a very busy week. What's even worse is I have a camp this Saturday so I'll be gone for a whole week. I'll try to upload as much as possible till then. Please Favorite, Follow, and Review you attractive readers. Bye!**


	9. Chapter 9

**_Chapter 9- New Floor, New Armor_**

 _Umairi just hoped Haruto would calm down and they could get some sleep before heading to the 2nd floor._

(Line Break which is Actually Normal)

Umairi leaned forward and propped his elbows on the table, cupping his hands together and putting them in front of his mouth. The group of 3 were currently in a restaurant in the town of Tolbana. "Okay, so tell me if I have this right, Kirito did all of that _on purpose_." Haruto spoke up. Umairi nodded and replied "Well I'm mostly sure."

"Jeez, I could never do that." Haruto sighed has he ran his fingers through his hair. The 3 sat at the booth in comfortable silence for about 5 minutes.

"Hey, Haruto, if we're going up to the next floor, I think it's time we get some new armor." Umairi stated, a grin forming on his face. "Oh, I perfectly agree." Haruto replied, also grinning. Umairi was going to have fun.

"How much Col do you have?" Haruto asked while also checking his. Umairi checked his and grinned "20,000 Col, you?

"19,000 Col." Haruto answered. "And you Yoko?" Umairi asked the albino, turning his attention to her. She opened her menu and checked. Umairi received a message from her, he opened it and it said 25,000 Col. _25,000_!

"Wow, Yoko you've been saving." Umairi whistled.

The 3 started to rise from the booth and prepared to leave the restaurant.

(It's gonna be Line (wait for it) Break)

Umairi stood at the counter of the shop, browsing the heavy armor. He had only seen a few things that actually caught his fancy. Then something popped out right at him, _Plated Armor_. This seemed interesting, he viewed how much a full set would cost. 18,000 Col. The stats were extremely better than the current leather he wore. Umairi pondered whether he should get it, but eventually, his gut won. He bought the full set. Yoko was off at another shop and the same with Haruto. They had decided not to reveal what they got till they met up again.

The NPC shop was currently empty so Umairi took that moment to try on the gear. He opened his menu and started to browse his inventory. Once he had spotted the gear, he dragged them onto each slot of his character, boots, breastplate, shoulders, and forearm guards. Umairi immediately felt the difference in weight, it felt like a sack of metal was put on top of his body. He walked his way towards the mirror in the shop, getting used to the feel, he loved it.

When Umairi saw his reflection, he whistled with admiration.

The armor was all grey besides black cloth which was put into the soft places of the armor, like his biceps and under arms. The boots had animal fur inside them so they fit comfortably, same with forearms. The breastplate when down to the bottom of his ribcage and underneath, the armor was layered, like scales, to allow for torso movement. The actual chest piece was basic but had a small uplift going straight up the middle and had small, circular, carves over it giving it an oriental look. The shoulder bells slightly overlapped the chest piece and like the waist, was layered slightly to allow for more flexible movement. There was a piece of cloth which hanged in front of and behind the crotch and rear end of the armor, it was made of fur but had a circular metal plate in the middle on the front.

Umairi was quite happy with his purchase. Sadly though, he wouldn't have enough for a good new sword so he stuck with slightly better, one-handed sword, which he called _The Fighter_. It was had a simple grey blade with a white line going down the middle of both sides and a leather wrapped hilt. He swaggered out the shop and headed towards the Inn the 3 had agreed on. Haruto was going to love his new armor.

(This is a "Line Break" ;))

"Damn Yoko. I'm guessing Christmas came early for you." Haruto said while looking over Yoko's new look.

She had gotten a metal breastplate which rested on top of a leather harness. She wore wore a green skirt which went to her knees and had a green undershirt. Though what Umairi and Haruto were more impressed with was her new sword. Yoko had gotten herself a very thin one handed sword. It had a golden guard and hilt. A gold streak ran up both sides of the blade. It was gorgeous.

"So, Haruto, what'd you get?" Umairi asked Haruto. He straightened his back and put his fist at his waist, like a superhero. Umairi rolled his eyes and observed Haruto's new armor. His chestplate was grey and simple and his shoulders were the same. Unlike Umairi, Haruto had decided to get a full armored arm. Underneath the metal, Umairi could see red clothes. The pants were also red and had much more visible armor then Umairi's. His new sword was a two-handed long sword, which looked extremely basic, but did insane damage, Haruto had named it _Looks Kill_. After about an hour of observing each other's new gear, the 3 finally went to bed. Umairi had much on his mind, mostly what would come next.

 **A/N See I promised an extra chapter. I noticed I hadn't really paid much attention to the armor our protagonist wore, so why not have a full chapter devoted to it. If you guys are wondering, Umairi's armor is based off the** _ **Plate Armor**_ **in the game,** _ **Skyrim.**_ **Please tell me if I got the prices right, I couldn't find anything that said average gold per player. Tell me if I need to lower or raise it.** **I might choose to rewrite this chapter later if I don't like it.** **Also, I'm sorry but there will be more grammar mistakes in this chapter since I wrote this at half power. Please Follow, Favorite, and Review you attractive beast of a reader. PEACE!**

 **P.S I don't know if the money is Col or Cor. The SAO wiki says Cor while the anime says Col. Help! Which is it? I'm changing it to Col till further notice. Wiki, Why you confuse me. -_-**


	10. Chapter 10

**_Chapter 10- The Second Floor_**

 _Umairi had much on his mind, mostly what would come next._

(Normal Line Break)

 _Floor 1_

 _December 5th, 2022_

Umairi stepped forward into the _Teleport Gate_ and shouted "Urbus!" He had overheard a few people explaining how to use the Gates and did as they said.

A brief feeling of weightlessness followed and everything In his vision changing. Umairi saw the 2nd floor for the first time.

 _Floor 2_

It was beautiful in a peaceful kind of way. For has far has the eye could see, there was grasslands and flat top mountains. Everything seems to have an orange tinge to it. The large city of _Urbus_ seemed to be located in a circular valley, almost like an impact had happened here. It felt like being in a Savannah, the weather was certainly warmer than floor one.

"Woah, that was strange." Umairi heard someone speak to his right, he turned his head and spotted Haruto.

"Like the ride?" Umairi jokingly asked.

"Yeah, I bet your mom did too." Haruto replied with a smirk.

Haruto lurched forward slightly, as if someone punched his back, which someone did. Yoko stood behind him, her fist extended where Haruto's back used to be.

"Ow." Haruto complained while rubbing his back. "What was that for, Yoko?"

It was Umairi's turn to poke fun at him "You can't feel pain, man up."

Haruto scowled and crossed his arms while looking away.

The group of 3 took their first few steps on the second floor.

(Break Line)

Umairi stood slightly slouched while observing the NPC's stock. He didn't notice anything of value to him or anything particularly useful so he closed the buy menu and walked back to the mainstreet. Haruto and Yoko were slightly ahead of him, viewing all of the vendors wares.

Umairi jogged slightly to catch up with them.

"Find anything you like, Uma?" Haruto asked him has he gingerly walked forward.

"Nope, I'm fine in gear and equipment has it is." Umairi replied while shrugging. "So...What should we do?"

Haruto put his hand to his chin and hummed for a seconds. "Want to explore the floor?"

"I don't care." Umairi answered "Yoko, is that fine with you?"

Yoko simply nodded (has always).

"Well, I guess it's settled, let's explore." Umairi said while clasping his hands together.

Umairi started to walk towards the exit of _Urbus_ while passing by quite a few players. It seemed a lot of people had the same idea since the main gate was pretty crowded. Once out, they finally started their journey through the Savannah.

(Another Line Break)

Haruto pushed against the ox while holding his two-handed sword vertically. "Switch!" he cried and Yoko and dived in, holding her new sword. She got a quite a few hits in until the ox exploded into blue particles.

The results menu popped up showing how much Exp, Col, and extras the group had gotten. Umairi didn't get much since Yoko practically did most of the damage, but he did a couple of useless objects. Well, he might be able to sell some of this stuff.

Haruto sheathed his two-hander and released a sigh. "Man, the weather is so nice here. Not too hot, not too cold."

Umairi nodded and stated "Yep, can't wait to see the next floor. It's hard to believe this is all just a game."

Haruto simply nodded and the 3 sat in comfortable silence admiring the gorgeous game.

They started walking again, deciding not to talk. After about 5 minutes, Haruto spoke up. "Yoko, this game is beautiful, isn't it." She nodded.

"Hey Umairi, have you accepted the game yet?" Umairi was completely thrown off by his question.

"What do you mean?" Umairi asked confused.

"Do you know about all the people still in the _Town of Beginnings_."

Umairi nodded, confusion written on his face.

"They don't want to accept this has a reality they're stuck in. We have though, we want to finish the game. They want to live...like cowards."

Umairi stopped, not knowing how to react to Haruto's statements.

Umairi shrugged it off and caught up to Haruto "What the hell was that about, man." Haruto didn't give him a direct answer but instead replied "I hate cowards...all of them are cowards."

Umairi was obviously annoyed by this statement and was going to pressure on but was cut short by a rather large ox.

Strange Haruto switched back into normal Haruto and shouted "Ox!"

Yoko pulled out her sword and got ready, so did Umairi.

The 3 prepared themselves the same way they dealt with the other Oxen. Umairi couldn't tell, but they looked to be pretty close to a town near the dungeon.

Has they approached, Umairi noticed that this ox was _considerably_ larger than other oxen. He had to be _at least_ 4 meters tall. Before Umairi could realize who the ox was and warn the others, it was too late. Haruto had accidently stepped into the ox's aggro bubble.

The giant ox roared and the letters _Bulbous Bow_ appeared over its head, coupled with 4 health bars. Umairi gulped, they were screwed.

 **A/N *Gasp* cliffhanger! Well that ends this chapter. Our protagonist have finally made It to the 2nd floor (after 9 chapters, lol). Kinda had to make the boss part AU for plot and story reasons though it's not a big deal. In the canon, a scout raid group fought the boss, not a small guild. I do want say, while browsing the SAO wiki, double checking all my times ect., I noticed that I had gotten the boss meeting and boss battle dates wrong. Derp move me. I'm pondering If I should write the next chapter after I upload this or wait. FYI, Friday will be my last full day to write till I leave for camp so I'm going to write as much as possible till then. P.S. When I was reading about the field boss on the SAO wiki, it never said how many health bars the boss had so I kinda had guess...please tell me if I'm right or wrong. This is the god damn 10th chapter and only 1 review (besides me). Come on SAO community! Review faster (350 views? I had over a 1000 on my other story by chapter 4, lol). I am really excited for the Christmas part of the story cause I have a cool idea for it, also, we should be hearing references to Argo in a chapter or 2. Thanks for reading and remember to Favorite, Follow, and Review you attractive beta-testers. Bye!**


	11. Chapter 11

**_Chapter 11- Facing the Field Boss_**

 _The giant ox roared and the letters Bulbous Bow appeared over its head, coupled with 4 health bars. Umairi gulped, they were screwed_

(Honorable Line Break)

 _Floor 2_

 _December 5th, 2022_

Haruto positioned himself at the front, him being the tank, would take the brunt of the damage. Umairi stood to his left and Yoko to his right. The ox released an angry moo sound and dug his hoof into the ground. He charged, the 3 knowing immediately to dodge left.

Once the ox was within 5 meters of them, the group sidestepped left as far as possible. The bull missed and continued on Its destructive path until stopping.

"Haruto, Yoko, sidestep him left and right. Charge your sword skills and when he is in range, attack his sides." Umairi commanded the 2 members. They nodded and prepared for the next charge.

 _ **Mooo!**_

The boss barreled towards the group, it's eyes glowing with hatred. Has the ox reached their position, they sidestepped and struck his exposed side, earning an angry squeal from the boss. The consecutive sword skills hitting the ox caused it's first health bar to drop halfway. The 3 did the same tactic over and over again, until the boss was on its last health bar.

The boss charged, but this time, they had timed the Dodge too late and the ox came barreling into them. Yoko and Umairi were able to jump out fast enough, but sadly, Haruto wasn't. The ox rimmed right into Haruto, launching him back almost 10 meters.

Yoko and Umairi sprinted over to him. He seemed to be confused, when they reached him, Umairi saw a small symbol next to his health bar. Stars spinning in a circle. Confusion.

The boss was not willing to wait and charged them again. "Yoko! Distract him! I got Haruto." Umairi cried at the albino. She replied with stern nod and jumped away, distracting the boss while Umairi helped Haruto.

"It's okay buddy, come on get up." Umairi grunted while assisting Haruto rise from his position on the ground. After holding him up for a little while, the confusion finally wore off.

"Here, drink this potion, your health is in the red." Umairi stated while reaching into a pocket and grabbing one. Haruto accepted it and downed the red potion. After about a minute, the 2 were ready to head back into combat. Yoko had done a swell job of holding back the boss while Haruto recovered and even took out a quarter of its last health bar.

"Haruto, stay back, we can't risk that again with your low agility build." Umairi told him. Haruto nodded in reply. "Yoko, Switch!" Umairi cried has he entered the fray. Yoko jumped back and let Umairi handle the boss. The ox charged forward and Umairi side stepped, charge his _Vertical_ sword skill, and lashed down on the boss's side.

He backed up and allowed Yoko to switch in. She did the same thing Umairi did, sidestepping and striking the boss's side. The ox turned around and charged again, Yoko sidestepped and got ready to strike, but this time he didn't continue, the boss swung its head, hard, to the left, where Yoko was. The attack connected, and launched her a good 8 meters

"Yoko!" Umairi cried and sprinted towards the downed girl. She wasn't a tank build like Haruto so she was _very_ likely to have been killed. Umairi hadn't run this fast in a long time. He arrived to where she lay and saw that she was alive, barely. Yoko's health bar only had about 5% of red left in it. Umairi shot his hand into his pocket and pulled out a health potion, his _last_ health potion. "Here, drink this." Umairi stated while putting the potion in her hand. She accepted and drank it, when it was empty, the container burst into blue particles.

 **Moooooo!**

Since Umairi was worried about the life of his teammate, he hadn't noticed that the boss had turned around and was coming straight at him. Umairi stared straight at the boss's head, his death, literally, coming to greet him. Umairi didn't know how to react, this was going to be his last few seconds of life, he closed his eyes and looked away while leaning over Yoko. He hope that she would live because of his sacrifice. Umairi stood like this for a few seconds, but the attack never came. He slowly glanced back up, only to see Haruto standing next to the boss, his two-hander sticking in its side almost to the hilt. The last of the ox's health drained away and it exploded in a shower of blue.

A victory message opened itself in front of Umairi that stated victory and amount of Exp, Col, and items gained. Umairi didn't know what to do, he wanted to cry tears of joy, yet he wanted to be angry at his incompetence. He started to chuckled, a feeling of mortality spawning in his chest. Everyone just sat there, in silence not knowing what to do. Yoko finally broke the silence by moving out from underneath Umairi and rising. Umairi stood up as well and walked over to Haruto.

Umairi embraced Haruto in a bear hug and patted his back "Thanks alot man. You saved my life. I'm forever in your debt." Umairi backed away and bowed. Haruto replied with a bow. "What item did you get from killing the boss?" Umairi asked Haruto. Haruto opened his menu and entered his inventory. He clicked on an item and it appeared in his hands. It was a helmet with 2 horns sticking from sides, it had fine lines carved all over the top and had had a small dip to cover the nose. Haruto tapped the item to read the info "The Oxen Helm." He read aloud.

"Are you going to wear it?" Umairi asked.

Haruto nodded and equipped it on his character. It appeared in a shower of blue particles.

"Okay, let's head back to town." Umairi stated has he started the trek towards _Urbus_ , while signaling the 2 follow. They did and the guild walked in silence the entire way.

(Serious Line Break)

Umairi lay on the floor of the Inn, Yoko had the bed and Haruto was curled up on the other side of the room. Umairi had been tossing and turning for about 2 hours now and couldn't fall asleep. He sighed and got up, tiptoeing towards the door, he made sure not to wake anyone and left the room. He was only in his sleeping ware which was a simple shirt and pants.

Umairi walked outside the Inn and into the alleyway next to it. He leaned his back against the wall and slowly slid down, feeling the warm breeze of the second floor. All the stress of being a leader and the events of that day finally caught up to Umairi. He tucked his knees up to his chest and started to silently cry.

After about 5 minutes, Umairi heard the sound of a door opening and the soft sounds of skin on cobble. He glanced up and saw a watery image of Yoko. She bent down and sat next Umairi. The 2 sat there, Umairi silently crying and Yoko showing no expression.

"How..." The small whisper came from Umairi. Yoko cocked her head, showing she didn't understand. "How! How can you can stay so calm and collected after what just happened!" Umairi screamed into the night, venting his emotions. "No human can stay so calm and collected! How!" Umairi looked towards Yoko and was shocked at what he saw, she was...crying. Tears had started to spill from her eyes and her lower lip quivered. She lurched forward and leaned onto Umairi and started to sob.

Umairi leaned onto her head and patted her shoulder, allowing her to sob. The 2 sat like this until they both fell asleep from exhaustion.

(Line Break 3)

 _Floor 2_

 _December 6th, 2022_

"Uma! Uma! Wake up! What the hell are you 2 doing sleeping out here." Umairi slowly returned to consciences. "Uma!"

Umairi slowly comprehended the voice to be Haruto's. He slowly opened his eyes and saw that Yoko was leaning on him. "Wha..." Umairi groaned out. "Finally, You guys had me worried, no message, nothing. I spent 3 hours searching the entire floor for you!" Haruto scolded.

Yoko slowly started to wake up too, she opened her eyes. She looked up to see what she could've been laying on and looked directly into Umairi's face. Yoko's face turned bright red and she shot up from from the ground, hitting Haruto in the gut. "Umph!" A purple hexagon appeared on the impact area and Haruto stumbled back a bit. When Yoko realized what she had done, her face turned an even darker shade of red. She bowed in front of Haruto to show she was extremely sorry. Haruto nodded and waved his hand saying she was fine.

 **Whoa, that was a deep chapter. I didn't even mean for that to happen *cough* I mean I obviously meant for that to happen. But anyway, Umairi finally faces his own mortality and snaps from the stress, Yoko does too. Well, anyway, this is the final day before camp so I'll be gone for awhile. I'm excited though. I don't know why but I enjoyed writing this very much. Please Favorite, Follow, and Review you level 1 noobs. Bye!**


	12. Chapter 12

**_Chapter 12- The Yoko Chapter Part 1_**

 _She bowed in front of Haruto to show she was extremely sorry. Haruto nodded and waved his hand saying she was fine_

(Line Break 2000)

 **Time Skip**

 **The Yoko Chapter**

 _Floor 3_

 _December, 15, 2022_

Haruto still hadn't showed up again. He could not give anything up. A day ago, Umairi and Haruto had gotten Into an argument over Haruto not following his commands. It ended up with a duel, which Umairi won, and a bitter Haruto. The only time we actually see the teen is at the Inn when it's time for sleep, even then, he ignores Umairi.

Yoko sat across from Umairi has he continued ranting about how he should've followed his orders.

Yoko wanted to say something but didn't know what. If she didn't bring the group the back together, it would certainly crumble.

"Right Yoko?" Umairi asked.

She nodded, acting as If she had been listening. "Come on, Yoko. Let's go browse the vendors." Umairi stated while getting up. Yoko did the same. She followed Umairi out of the bar they had been in and onto the new street. The 3rd floor had just been unlocked yesterday and soon the 4th. The group happened to be in the main town of _Wald (_ _ **Vold**_ _)_. The floor composed mostly of forest and a rather cool temperature.

Yoko followed Umairi has he walked to the main market area of the town.

(LINE BREAK!)

Yoko sighed while looking at the Inn's roof. What time was it? 4, 5 am? Recently she has had trouble sleeping and it would soon seriously affect her fighting style. The white haired girl rolled over on to her side so she could see the rest of the room. Umairi lay sprawled on the floor, breathing heavily, and Haruto in the corner, snoring slightly.

Yoko wanted to sleep so badly, but something kept bothering her. With the group so split, it would soon, literally, be the death of them. Yoko knew then that it was her job to save the group. She slowly crept out of bed, making sure to walk over Umairi, she had heard of a quest that would drop a rare loot item. If Yoko could get the item, maybe, just maybe, the group might come together again. The albino tipped toed out into the Inn's hallway and equipped her armor from the menu. The clock said 3:30 am. Yoko would do everything in her power to save the group, she walked out the main entrance of the Inn.

(Line ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Break)

"The room can be found at the dungeon located in the north part of town." The female NPC gasped out "If you can get me the leaves deep inside it, I can make the tea to help my illness. I also heard that there is a rare object located in the dungeon."

Yoko nodded, after an hour of searching, she had finally found the quest. The NPC who offered it seemed to be sick. Luckily the quest could always be done at anytime of day. The quest added menu popped up with details

 _The Sick Maiden_

 _Requirements- Explore and complete the dungeon located in the northern part of the third floor and gain the leaves to heal the sick women._

 _Optional- Find and gain the item located at the end_

 _Reward- 1000 Col_

Seemed easy enough. Yoko turned, exited the building, and started to walk towards _Wald's_ main gate. The sun was just starting to rise above the edge of _Aincrad_ , casting a brilliant glow over the landscape. The floors background music kicked in, a light violin playing coupled with a calm orchestra.

The trees were easily 5 to 6 Yokos tall making the girl feel really small. She looked up and glanced at the bottom of the 4th floor, the sun reflect off it. Yoko brought her attention back to the way she was going and continued on the path, avoiding any and all players, mobs, and monsters.

The girl slowed her pace has she reached the entrance to the cave, in the background music, a small choir started to sing, giving the cave an even more mysterious feeling. Yoko gulped. The entrance stood at about 4 meters, the rocks surrounding it were jagged. Yoko unsheathed her sword and hesitantly walked into the dungeon's entrance. Has she walked, the light from outside seemed to be swallowed by the darkness and only traveled about 3 meters in.

 _Smack_

Yoko rubbed her head, her health bar going down by 1 point. She had smacked right into a rock wall. "What!?" She thought "This can't be it." Yoko hit her fist on the wall and nothing happened. This had to be some sort of puzzle. Yoko backed up and used what little light was left to scan the wall. It was just a smooth gray surface, nothing special about it. Something caught her eye though, a darker shadow on the surfaces low left side. Yoko snuck towards it and bent down.

It was a small inlet. Whatever was in it, she couldn't see, but it had to be the way to open it.

Yoko didn't know if it was safe to be sticking her fingers in to random holes in walls but it was her only hope. She hesitantly put 2 fingers in the hole. Her fingers went in about 3 centimeters before contacting a small round object. A button! The girl pushed the button and the cave started to shake, rocks and debris falling around her.

 _Boom!_

A loud rumble can be heard has the door opened, her exit is closed by an avalanche of falling rocks. She panicked for a second but then collected herself. Yoko thought for a second and then came up with an idea. She opened her menu, clicked friends, and selected send message. The girl clicked Umairi's name and the message window opened up.

 _Umairi_

 _Umairi, I'm stuck in a cave in the northern part of the third floor. I can't get out. Help please._

Yoko knew It wasn't very urgent but still sent it anyway, you never know. The reply came about a minute later

 _Message received_

She clicked the open message sign.

 _From_ _Umairi_

 _Yoko, thank god you're okay. You had Haruto and I scared so much since we didn't know where you were. We can't find you on the find player option so it'll take us a while. Hold tight, we're coming._

Yoko ignored the last part and picked up her sword. The inside of the dungeon had a faint glow thanks to the large amounts of luminescent algae growing on the ceiling and walls. The hallway was mostly square, besides a couple of cracks and chunks missing from the ground.

Yoko walked has quietly and quickly as possible. Even with her best efforts, Yoko's footsteps echoed through the cavern. Has she walked forward, no traps springed, strange... don't dungeons usually have traps? Her answer would soon be answered.

A giant tentacle shot out from her left and grabs her by Yoko's by her legs. She is immediately lifted Into the air. Another tentacle shoots out and Yoko uses her sword to deflect it. 6 other tenticals appear soon after. The name of the monster appears over the tentacles holes.

 _The Octoblades_

Octoblades? Why was it called that? The brief moment of confusion would cost Yoko dearly, she hadn't noticed the tentacle swing back and slice along her, taking a forth of her health with it. Instead of feeling slime, she felt knifes cut into her. The pain dampeners didn't let her feel more than a tingle, but it brought shivers down her spine and a sense of fear. Well, that's why it's call Octoblades.

After some struggling, Yoko killed the monster and dropped to the ground, she only had 1/4th of her health left. The girl downed a potion and waited for its effect to finish. Once her health was in the green, Yoko continued on her path. She only encountered a couple more monsters until finally reaching a large room. The algae only did so much to provide light so most of the room was black. She walked forward until she spotted another room. Has she walked toward it, she heard a disturbing noise. A sound of fast moving feet came from all around her.

Yoko spotted something fast to her right and quickly brought up her sword just in time to deflect a blade. The enemy blade wielder wore twisted black armor and a large helmet. Its skin was a pale yellow and was extremely wrinkled.

 _Screeched!_ The beast let out.

Yoko shoved back the monster and stabbed it right in the chest, taking 3/4th of its health. It backed away and another one came in too, attempt to kill the white haired girl. She parried every blow and finally killed the 3 attackers. Yoko lowered her blade, breathing heavily. Another screech came this time, but much deeper and louder. The ground shook violently and the entire room lit up. A giant beast dropped from a large hole in the roof. It looked like the other attackers but was much bigger, and fatter.

The words _The Felmare Queen_ coupled with 5 health bars appeared over the boss. It had no helpers, but by herself, Yoko was going to have trouble. The monster stood there, unmoving. Yoko took a step sideways, preparing to flank it. Her shoe made a small tap sound when it hit the floor and the boss snapped its head towards Yoko. "It must rely on hearing." Yoko thought to herself.

The boss let out another gut wrenching screech and barreled at Yoko. Yoko responded by jumping to the left, dodging its charge by a literal hair. She launched out her blade in a _Horizontal_ and got its side, barely dropping its first health bar by 5%.

This continued for about 5 minutes until it did something unexpected, it charged a sword skill. Yoko was behind it when the boss did the skill, which was a spin, and was hit across the chest. The attack was extremely powerful and threw Yoko back, taking half of her health with it.

The boss walked over to where Yoko lay, screeched, and raised its weapon to finish her.

"Yoko!" A mysterious voice cried. The boss turned around, confused. At the main entrance stood Haruto and Umairi!

"Yoko! I told you to stay put!" Umairi continued to cry out.

The boss zeroed onto Umairi's and Haruto's position and charged. The 2 noticed early and got out out of Its way has it rammed into the back wall, damaging it a small bit and causing the boss to get stuck. Yoko's 2 friends sprinted to her side and bent down to pick her up.

"Come on, Yoko, we're leaving." Umairi stated.

The boss unstuck itself, causing rocks to fall down and cover the entrance, and their only exit. Yoko heard Umairi curse under his breathe and sighed.

"Haruto, distract the boss while I help Yoko." Umairi ordered Haruto.

"What if I want to help-" Haruto was cut off by Umairi "Do it or die!"

Haruto simply scowled and started to flank the boss. Umairi silently took out a potion and handed it to Yoko, who accepted it. Once Yoko was healed and ready, Umairi cried "Switch!" To Haruto who did has he was told. Umairi dived in and started to attack the boss. _Horizontal, Vertical, Slash,_ Umairi was using every sword skill he knew on the boss until its health was in the red on last bar.

"Yoko! Switch!" Umairi cried has he jumped back, his health in the red as well. Yoko jumped into the air and charged a newly learned sword skill, _Sonic Leap._ The sword skill brought her down, like lightning, at the boss and her blade dug right into its head, finishing it off. The Queen staggers back a little before exploding in a shower of blue particles.

Yoko collapses and sighs. A window appears in front of her showing her reward for getting the final attack bonus, _Cave Leaves._

"Hey, Umairi. I found something." Haruto cried towards the others, he is at the doorway Yoko was heading for. Yoko rises and follows Umairi to inspect what Haruto is looking at. When the 2 reach the doorway, they are greeted by a chest sitting in a bare room. This has to be the rare item! The group of 3 walk into the room and towards the chest.

Umairi bends down and opens it. He reaches in and pulls out a bundle of fur. Yoko hears him mumble "What is this." Umairi tapped the object and its information pops up. Umairi reads it for a second, than his eyes bulge to twice their size in shock.

"Haruto! Read the info!" Umairi cried at the other teen a smile forming on his face. Haruto looks confused and read the info, a look of shock then joy appears on his face too. Haruto tosses the bundle of fur to Yoko who reads the info has well.

 _Golden Fleece_

 _Can be put under armor. Grants +15 healing to all party members._

Yoko stares at the words for a few seconds, processing what they said. Umairi and Haruto are both giggling, like Japanese school girls gossiping, but are cut short by a rumble. The entrance closes shut locking the party of 3 inside. That's when the first monsters appear.

 **A/N And that ends the 12th chapter of Shield and Sword! I'm back from camp, 3 shades darker, with a mustache, and covered in mosquito bites. This is now officially the longest thing I've ever written to make up for my week gone. Sorry to the people who reviewed, I wanted to have your reviews in the A/N but I'm to lazy to copy and paste them here. I want to say it now, I know 1 handed swords are used by EVERYBODY in the SAO fanfic community, but that is honestly the sword I would use. With Yoko, she went speed but not with a rapier so she could have more damage and still go fast. Here's a fun fact, Haruto and Yoko weren't even meant to be in this story, and even better, I didn't mean for anything to happen between Yoko and Umairi... accidents happen! Well its good, but anyway, please Follow, Favorite, and Review you attractive SAO players. Peace!**

 **P.S. Wald is German for Forest since the 3rd floor is a forest. Smart me!**


	13. Chapter 13

**_Chapter 13- The Yoko Chapter Part 2_**

 _The entrance closed shut, locking the party of 3 inside. That's when the first monsters appear._

(Bine Lreak)

 **The Yoko Chapter Part 2**

 _Floor 3_

 _December 15, 2022_

The monsters swarmed around the group, their sizes ranging from half a meter to 4 meters tall. Yoko gulped, how would they get out of this situation. The 3 stood back to back, their swords held at the ready.

"Yoko equip the fleece." Umairi urgently stated under his breath. Yoko did has she was told and quickly opened her menu to put on the fleece. Right when the fleece appeared onto her, the first monster attacked, a Felmare. Yoko quickly killed it off before it could do any major damage.

The Demons started to swarm them, Yoko, Haruto, and Umairi killing them off faster than ever, but more replaced the ones fallen. Haruto's sword had already broken and he was down to his spare. The fleece was helping dramatically, if not for it, they would already be dead. After what felt like an hour, Umairi cried out "Look! An exit! Go towards it!"

Yoko spotted it, the exit was a small slit of light, and did has she was told, slowly pushed their way to the supposed exit. Even with the fleeces help, Yoko's health was still dropping, borderlining red. She predicted that she had about 10 minutes left until her death.

Another beast charged her, this time, it was a humanoid snake, which she cut down with a couple sword skills. Yoko glanced to her left at Umairi, he was currently fighting a medium-sized spider. He swung his blade in a _slash_ and killed the arachnid, though he left his left side exposed. Yoko knew what was coming before Umairi and before she could scream a warning, a Felmare stabbed his side, paralyzing him.

"Umairi!" Yoko screamed louder than ever in her life. Umairi collapsed, only to soon be overtaken.

"Yoko, we got to go!" Haruto cried at the near tears albino has he grasped her collar and led her towards safety. Yoko regained some sense and started to parry blows coming in.

Yoko, being distracted, didn't see the monster coming from her right.

"Yoko!" Haruto cried has he stepped in front of the mob. They seemed to be coming to a small land bridge, the light only 5 meters away. Haruto was fighting the monster and Yoko was slowly walking back, she glanced to down to her left has she walked onto the bridge. Below her was pure blackness. The white haired girl gulped, only to almost be thrown off by a shaking. There were so many monsters on the bridge, it started to crack.

Haruto turned around to face Yoko for a quick second and whispered "Good luck, Yokoshiba." Yoko was about to ask what was that supposed to mean, when Haruto threw himself back, shoving Yoko to safety on the other side. Sadly, the extra weight caused the land bridge to shatter, taking the lives of the monsters, and Haruto, to the depths below.

The mobs were literally pushing each other off the edge in an attempt to get to Yoko. The albino turned around and sprinted out of the cavern. She was blinded for moment has she walked into what seemed to be a field, the sun still close to the horizon. Yoko turned around only to see the exit sealed. She glanced to the top left of her vision, and saw Umairi's and Haruto's names gone. A results window opened in front of her, but she could care less about that."No, no, no, nononono!" Yoko began to cry, tears falling in rivers from her eyes. She sprinted to where the exit was, dropped her sword, and banged her fist on the rocky surface.

After 5 minutes of this, she slid down to the ground, kneeling in front of the surfaces while looking at the ground. Yoko began to sob, feeling as if a part of her had just died. She cupped her face in her hands, crying harder than she ever before had, harder than when her parents died, harder than when she found out she was paralyzed.

"Hey, are you alright." A masculine voice asked the crying girl. "My name's Klein, what's yours?" Yoko simply ignored him and continued crying. She soon fell asleep from exhaustion.

( Line breakage of Break)

Yoko awoke tired and stiff. She seemed to be laying in a bed at an inn. The girl looked around for Haruto and Umairi...than she remembered what happened. Her eyes swelled up and the tears began again. She laid back down and sobbed. A minute later, somebody opened the door and walked in, the person noticed her sobbing and ran to her side. "Are you okay?"

It was the same guy from before. She glanced up and looked at him, he had spiky hair, red armor, a red bandana, and had a curved sword at his hip. His name was Klein, right? Yoko's wiped her eyes with her right arm and nodded.

Klein replied "Good to hear, the rest of my guild should be showing up soon." Yoko sniffled and wiped her eyes. "What's your name?" Klein continued. Yoko's whispered "Yoko..."

"Yoko, can you tell me why you were alone crying in front of a rock?" Klein stating this brought back memories of her fallen friends and she soon started to cry again. Klein immediately tried to fix his slip up but soon gave up and let the girl cry herself to sleep.

 **A/N Wow, that was interesting... don't worry, I'll get more into depth with Yoko's past soon enough, just wait. I honestly was just writing what came to mind today and that's what did. We finally get to meet Klein! Sorry for the short chapter, I just didnt know what to write about today. :/ Can't believe Umairi and Haruto are both dead...or are they? Please Favorite, Follow, and Review you great readers! I am the True Desu. Byea!**


	14. Chapter 14

**_Chapter 14- The Past of Yokoshiba_**

 _Klein immediately tried to fix his slip up but soon gave up and let the girl cry herself to sleep._

(Line Breaks)

 _Yuki, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan_

 _April 27th, 2016_

Yoko groaned, she didn't feel good. Her senses slowly returning to her. The sound of a faint beeping, breathing, people talking greeted her ears. Yoko opened her eyes, she was in a hospital room. She attempted to get out of bed, but something wasn't right...she couldn't feel her legs. The young girl started to panic while trying desperately to move her lower body. Yoko soon gave up and started to cry.

A doctor ran into the room after hearing the crying girl. " What's wrong! Are you alright." He ask while frantically checking the equipment near her.

"I-I can't feel my legs!" Yoko was all she was able to cry out. The doctor stopped what he was doing and looked at her. "You do remember what happened, right?" He asked nervously. The girl shook her head no. The man knelt next to Yoko's bed and looked her straight in the eyes. He let's out a sigh and told the albino girl "You got into a car accident that damaged your spine, you can no longer feel or move your lower body." He pulled himself up and prepared to leave the room.

"Wait...where are my parents." Yoko asked impatiently. The doctor replied "In critical condition." He exited the room.

Yoko sat there in complete silence, then she broke. The young girl cupped her face in her hands and cried for about an hour before her body ran out of tears and stopped. She laid down once she felt she had finished crying and closed her eyes, hoping her parents were okay.

(Line Breaked)

 _Yuki, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan_

 _May 13th, 2016_

Everyone stood there, wearing dark dresses and suits while solemn expressions were fixed on their faces. Yoko sat there, in her new wheelchair, listening to the man talking about her parents. Yoko's dad had requested they hold a Western style funeral since he was born and raised in England.

"Edward-san and Haruka-san were both great people, they would help anyone in need while providing for themselves as well. The 2 parents, while sad to say died at 35, had raised 1 daughter, Yokoshiba. I grieve for the lost of her parents and the torture she will have to endure." The man finished his short speech and stepped away has a couple of men started to close her parents final resting place.

Yoko started to silently cry, she didn't know if things would ever get better for her. She felt a hand grab her shoulder, Yoko looked up to see an old woman staring down at her. It was her grandmother, Sobo.

"Hello, my little cherry blossom." The old woman stated while wearing a sad smile on her face. Yoko's leaned forward and hugged her grandma's legs and weeped.

"It's okay, cherry blossom, you'll come and live with me and Sofu and we'll keep you safe." Sobo calmly stated while patting the crying girls head.

Yoko wheeled out of the building, following her grandmother. At this moment, Yoko's decided that she would no longer cry, she would no longer want to feel emotion, and she decided to break herself off from this existance.

(Line Broke)

 _Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture, Japan_

 _November 14th, 2018_

Yoko sat at her desk, her face completely void of any emotion though inside, she was extremely nervous. This was going to be her first day at a new school. Her desk had been ordered by the school to fit her wheelchair and some other accommodations were made by the school to make it easier for her move around and feel normal.

Has students started to pile into the room, they immediately took notice to the white haired girl. It didn't take long for whispers to go around, which were obviously about her. Her grandmother's words still echoed in her head

 _"Now remember, middle school is going to be tough, but you have to stay strong, for me."_

So Yoko did just that and looked straight forward, hiding all emotion deep inside of her. The teacher soon walked in and got the class's attention.

"Hello class, I would like to introduce a new student who will be joining us today. You can come up." Yoko gulped and wheeled herself out of her desk and pushed herself to the front of the class. Once she reached the front, she turned around and bowed. "I am Kazumi-san, what's your name?" The teacher asked.

"Yoko." The albino girl whispered out. "Louder please." The teacher asked.

Yoko raised her chin slightly stated much louder "Yoko!"

"And what do you like, Yoko-san?" Kazumi-sensei asked. Yoko replied "To read."

Sensei was going to continue but quickly caught on that she didn't like to talk. "You can sit down, Yoko-san."

Yoko nodded and wheeled back over to her desk.

"Now, open your English books-" The teacher droned on before Yoko entered her own world in her head.

 _Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture, Japan_

 _November 14th, 2018, Lunch_

Yoko sat at the corner of the room, eating the lunch her grandmother had prepared for her. She didn't really think about it much, but was she going to make any friends soon. Isolation isn't always very good for you. She sat there for a couple of minutes, until she got a strange feeling from below, she had pee. Yoko quickly wheeled herself out of the room and looked for the handicapped bathrooms.

After she relieved herself, she left the bathroom hurriedly in hopes of not being late.

"Where do you think your going." A male voice said. Yoko ignored it and kept going. "Don't ignore me!" A hand grabbed the back of Yoko's wheelchair and stopped her from going forward.

Yoko turned her wheelchair around looked at her enemy, no, enemies. He had long brown hair and brown eyes. The boy had 3 other people with him. "So you're the new kid. Nice ride you have there, mind if I give it a whirl?" He asked. Yoko shook her head no.

"I don't take no for an answer." He stated a scowl forming on his face. His goons walked around Yoko preparing to surround her.

"Hey! Tsubaki! Leave the girl alone!" Another voice yelled from behind Yoko. The boy, Tsubaki, looked up and yelled angrily "Shut up, Haruto! This is between me and her! Leave or you're next!"

"If you want her, you have to go through me." Haruto called back, Yoko had yet to see her saviour, but hoped he could get away before he got hurt. "Fine by me." Tsubaki stated, a smirk on his face.

Tsubaki's goons turned Yoko around to watch the fight. Tsubaki walked up to Haruto, who was about a half a head shorter than him. A crowd formed, preparing to watch the soon to come battle.

The fight broke out, Haruto being the weaker of the 2, took more hits than Tsubaki but he wasn't going down anytime soon. The 2 exchanged blows until Haruto ended it by upper cutted Tsubaki who staggered back from the hit. Haruto took this chance to jump onto the stunned bully and sent a flurry of punches to his face.

"HARUTO! TSUBAKI! What do you think you're doing!" It was Kazumi-sensei. Before the 2 boys could respond, she grabbed them by their wrist and led them away. The crowd soon dispatched after that and headed back to their classes, Yoko soon followed.

 _Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture, Japan_

 _November 14th, 2018, After School_

Yoko wheeled herself towards the school's main exit. The rest of the day went on without much incident. She sighed, it was only the first day and she almost got hurt. Was that a bad omen?

"Hey!" Yoko turned around, wondering if someone had called her. The boy from before, Haruto, was jogging towards her, a bandage on his cheek and a suitcase in tow. Yoko stopped moving and waited for the boy to catch up.

Once he had reached Yoko, he bent over and started to catch his breath. "I...didn't...catch...your...name."

"Yoko." Yoko answered neutrally. Haruto straightened his back and bowed "It's nice to meet you, Yoko-chan, I'm Haruto."

Yoko bowed slightly. "So, Yoko-chan, wanna be friends?" Haruto asked chipper like. Yoko nodded and Haruto grinned even wider. "Mind if I walk you home, friend?" Haruto asked. Yoko shook her head no. She honestly didn't mind, she was happy to have made a new friend. Haruto started to walk forward and signaled Yoko to follow. Yoko went home that day, with a new friend.

 **A/N And that ends this chapter of Shield and Sword. We delve a little into the past of Yoko. Haruto will be next. If you think about it, Yoko is surprisingly strong if she was able to stay strong at the age of** _ **9**_ **after what happened. Please Favorite, Follow, and Review you thoughtful readers. Shönen Tag!**


	15. Chapter 15

_**Chapter 15- The Past of Haruto**_

 **1000 view special! (I want more!)**

 _Yoko went home that day, with a new friend_

(Line break. com)

 _Floor 3_

 _December 15th, 2022_

Haruto fell, and fell, and fell. It felt like hours until he finally formed a plan.

He struck his back up sword against the wall near him, it dug into the rocky surface and started to slow Haruto's decent. His sword finally slowed him down, but it didn't stop him.

After several minutes of sliding, the wall started to slope then sharply turned parallel to the ground. Haruto hit the ground with a solid smack and his knees buckled. The pain dampeners took most of the pain but his body still knew he had injured himself.

He slowly rose from the ground, looking at his surroundings. He seemed to be in a very tall but slim canyon. If his shoulder was to the wall, you could only fit about 2 of him. The walls went on endlessly in both directions. Haruto decided to spin around with his eyes closed and go which ever direction he was facing.

Haruto mindlessly walked forward, glancing up at his health bar only to see Umairi's name there but Yoko's gone. He hoped she was fine. He had known her for about 4 years and wanted to continue that record. Haruto still could remember the reason why she wanted to play this blasted death game.

(Line Break! *Jazz Hands*)

 **FLASHBACK**

 _Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture, Japan_

 _August 21st, 2022_

Haruto sat in front of his computer screen, playing _War Thunder_. Yeah the game was old, but the company running it had kept it adrift. He thoroughly enjoyed it.

 _Buzz_

Haruto jumped, his phone ringing startled him. He picked it up and looked at the message

 _Yoko_

 _Haruto, go to this link, right now, or I'll hunt you down._

 _www. swordartonline .com_

The chubby Asian copied the link into his browser and was directed to a page, for a game.

 _Welcome to the Sword Art Online official website!_

 _Game servers open 4m: 16d: 12h :34mi :10s_

Haruto browsed through the information and that's when he immediately knew why Yoko wanted the game. She wanted to walk again. He couldn't blame her, he probably would want to too. Haruto picked up his phone and messaged back

 _I'm guessing you want me to buy you the NerveGear and the game?_

A minute later, Yoko replied

 _Yes._

He sighed, from personal experience, Haruto knew it was impossible to move her from a choice. He quickly typed back his reply

 _Are you going to pay for your own stuff?_

Haruto sure hoped she was, but something told him-

 _Yoko_

 _No._

Yep, he knew it. Haruto didn't feel like arguing with a brick wall so he responded

 _Fine, but you owe me big time. I've been saving that Yen for a better PC. You don't even like MMORPGs, why do you want to play this one?_

He was wondering that though, she doesn't even like RPGs, she was more of a FPS person. Yoko's response was delayed, has he expected

 _Yoko_

 _You know why. Night._

Haruto scowled, that girl. He responded _Good Night_ and went back to his to his game of _War_ _Thunder._

(Line Break)

 _Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture, Japan_

 _November 6th, 2022_

Haruto moaned, his feet hurt, his back ached, and even his fingers were sore. After having to wait in line for 8 hours, you'd think he'd given up. No, Haruto knew better than to get on the evil side of Yoko. In front of and behind him were thousands of people, here for the same reason, _Sword Art Online_.

When the game store finally opened, the only thing keeping the area going into anarchy mode was the police officers stationed near by. The line slowly moved forward, Haruto nearing the store ever closer.

After an extra hour of waiting in line, he finally reached the game store. Haruto walked in, and was greeted by the store clerk. A young woman with black hair and green eyes, she looked to be 16 or 17.

"Hello! Welcome to _GameGo,_ I'm guessing you're here for _Sword Art Online_?"

Haruto nodded and pulled out his wallet.

"Okay, how many copies would you like to buy?" The clerk stated happily.

"How much would 2 sets of _NerveGear_ and _Sword Art Online_ cost?" Haruto asked, dreading the answer.

"That will be... 146,195 Yen (Roughly 1,180 US dollars)." The girl responded still happy.

Haruto almost did a complete flip in that store. " Wha-wha-wha." He stuttered out. He only had 150,000 Yen. He internally scowled at Yoko.

"Um, sir, are you okay?" The clerk asked quizzically.

Haruto shook himself out of his stupor and nodded "Yes, I am. I'll take it, _please_." Haruto stated the last word with his jaw clenched.

"Okay then, I'll take your money, please." The still happy girl stated while extending a hand. Haruto hesitantly put the roll of Yen in her hand. She took the money and gave him back his change, roughly 4,000 Yen (roughly 45 US Dollars).

The clerk handed him 2 bags, both filled with the game and the gear.

Before he left, the woman also added "You're lucky, that was second to last set." Haruto internally sighed, Yoko wasn't going to kill him today.

Haruto went home that day, satisfied, well besides the fact he had lost a years worth of savings. Little did did he know though, his money would soon be the least of his worries...

 **END OF FLASHBACK**

(Line Breaking)

 _Floor 3_

 _December 15th, 2022_

Haruto walked on, not knowing how much time had passed. Has he walked, a light caught his eyes. He exited his daydream and ran towards it. He sure hoped that this was a way for him to leave this horrible place. A sound greeted his ears, the sounds of _combat._ Haruto jogged into the light and was momentarily blinded. Has his virtual eyes focused, he saw...Umairi! Though he wasn't in the greatest condition.

The leader of his guild was fighting a giant stone statue of a woman wearing old fashion Roman looking armor.

"Uma!" Haruto cried towards the teen. Umairi temporarily looked at Haruto, which was a mistake. The stone monster took this chance to hit Umairi. The brown haired teen was launched into the wall to Haruto's upper right. Umairi slid down the wall and landed next to Haruto.

The chubby Asian went to his side and helped him up, Uma only had a sliver of health left. Haruto pulled out his back up health potion and gave it to Umairi, who downed it immediately.

"Haruto, I need your help." Umairi stated while waiting for the potion's effect to kick in.

"With the enemy?" Haruto asked.

Umairi nodded and asked "I need to know one thing though, will you follow my orders? No matter what?"

Haruto put on a serious face and nodded.

"Good." Umairi replied. "Now, let's kick some stone ass!"

"Ohh-ra!" Haruto yelled has he prepared to follow his leader, no, _friend_ , into battle.

 **A/N and this ends Chapter 15 of Shield and Sword! I know, this isn't really the past of Haruto, though it was in the past, and it is from Haruto's pov. Nothing really interesting happened in his childhood anyways. Anyway, COME THE FUCK ON PEOPLE! 1000 views and I'm at chapter 15...-_- Is disappointed in audience. But thanks anyway, we all have to start somewhere, right? *starts to shed a tear*. Anyways, please Follow, Favorite, and Review you great,** _ **great**_ **...people! Good day!**

 **P.S. If any of you 1000 readers out there are talented in the art of photoshop, feel free to PM because I could really use a cover for my story, thanks!**


	16. Chapter 16

**_Chapter 16- The Stone Goddess_**

 _Ohh-ra!" Haruto yelled has he prepared to follow his leader, no, friend, into battle._

(Line Brake)

 _Floor 3_

 _December 15th, 2022_

Umairi gasped, the monsters immediately surrounded him and were jabbing every attack they had. The paralysis wasn't going away anytime soon, and for the first time ever, Umairi closed his eyes and expected death.

No! He wasn't going to give up! He was Iriamu Yūsutasu! His eyes shot open. The determined teen watched the paralysis sign blink, then disappear. He clenched his jaw and kicked off, ramming right into the legs of the monsters above his head, knocking them over.

Umairi took this chance to kick away and shoot up from the ground. A little wobbly from the sudden rise, Umairi sprinted away, as if the devil himself was chasing, which it probably was. He sprinted as hard and fast has he could into the entrance of a large tunnel, ignoring monsters and rocks, it felt like he was flying.

"Crap, my sword!" Umairi groaned to himself has he ran. He quickly stopped and fumbled to open his menu. "Come on, come one, come on!" Umairi shot through his inventory until he found his backup sword, _The Third Wheel_.

Umairi quickly equipped it, and started to hold off the monsters which had caught up to him. He got a quick glance at his HP bar, only 10% of it remained. After 5 minutes of defending his life, Umairi shot off like a bolt of lightning, charging every sword skill he knew while he ran, and swung at anything that moved.

 _Level Up!_

Umairi spotted the message pop up, and he had an internal victory. While sprinting, Umairi opened his menu and put all of his extra points into agility. The effect kicked in almost immediately. Umairi felt, _faster_. He had never tried to upgrade a skill while using it, but right now, he felt like he was literally flying.

The sound of monsters behind him soon faded to the sound of water dripping and his own footsteps. Umairi started to slow down, taking his time to scan his surroundings. Even though strength and speed were only measured in numbers here, Umairi felt like he would soon pass out from exhaustion. He sat down and laid his back against the wet surface of the cave.

Umairi glanced to the top left of his screen and died. Yoko's name...it was _gone!_ Haruto's name was still there, but Yoko's was no where to be seen.

And at the moment, a piece of Umairi died. He wanted to cry, but something told him no. Now he why Yoko never wanted to feel emotion. Ramming all of his sadness deep into his subconscious, Umairi rose from his spot on the ground and started to jog in the direction away from where he just came.

He ran, and ran, and ran, for what felt like hours, until something tripped him.

"Wha-" Umairi cried out has he stumbled forwards.

"What mortal is stupid enough to bother my rest!" A deep, feminine, voice boomed. The room went from dark and eerie to bright and eerie. He looked around, the cave entered into a huge a cavern, the light source was almost like the boss room for floor 1. The were 4 pillars all in corners of the room. The floor was a glassy black color which reflected any thing on it.

"What?" Umairi asked while lowering his blade. That's when he saw the source. A giant, 15 meter tall stone statue of a woman standing on a golden pedestal . She wore what looked to be Roman armor and had a round shield on her left arm, a sword impaled in the ground, was in her right. The woman portrayed in the statue was gorgeous, she had hair that looked like it would fall in waves to the small of her back. Her face had crisp detail, her eyes were biggish and the end of the eyes ended in a point, like eyeliner.

"I said mortal, who dare disturb my rest!" The source had to be the statue. Umairi gulped and said "I-I didn't mean too I was just-"

"Silence!" The statue boomed and Umairi did just that. "I have not seen a mortal in 1000 years, the last one I did, _betrayed_ me." She spat out. "I granted his wish, but under one circumstance. Yet he goes off and refuses to do it. Now, mortal, I see a light in you, something... _decent._ "

Umairi swelled with pride on the inside, but tried to seem neutral on the outside. "Mmm, yes, what I have gathered on you in your brief time of this world, is quite _interesting_. You have the makings of a natural leader, you can see things others can't, both physically and socially. But you're dense. While you can see far away, you can't see what's right in your face." The woman stated not necessarily at him.

"You know what, I like you. I'll grant you 3 pieces of knowledge. Under one condition. You answer when I call for you. So now, what is the first thing you want to know? " Umairi nodded.

"Okay then, first off, who are you?" Umairi asked hesitantly "What! You do not know who I am!" The woman scowled angrily "I am Minerva! The goddess of knowledge, strategy, and magic!"

Umairi knew that name from anywhere but he couldn't put his finger on it. "Now onward mortal, what is your second request?"

Umairi thought for a little bit, then he knew what to ask "Are my friends, Haruto and Yoko, okay?"

The goddess thought for a second and replied "Yes, they both are." Umairi hefted a sigh of relief, his friends were okay. He was almost willing to cry tears of joy, almost.

"My final question is, how can I get out of here?" Umairi questioned.

The goddess gave off a hum before answering "The only way to escape is to pass through me, but sadly mortal, I can't let you do that. If more are to know of my location, it could turn out bad."

He was screwed. "I need to leave, now!" Umairi sternly called back. "Mortal, you may leave, _if_ , you defeat me in battle."

"Challenge accepted!" Umairi called back while pulling out his sword. The bright room soon started to shake, debris falling around Umairi. The statute in the middle of the room started to move, its arms twitching, its eyes blinking. With a loud creak, the statue took a step off the pedestal it was at, picked up its sword, and got in and battle stance.

"Are you ready, mortal?" The statue boomed.

"You bet I am!" Umairi yelled back, preparing himself in his battle stance too.

The words _Minerva The Goddess_ appeared over the statues head coupled with 6 health bars, _6!_ Umairi gulped and charged towards the statue, charging his _Vertical_ sword skill.

 **A/N This part was AU mostly since we need some stuff to be spiced up! It won't actually effect the main story line, but it will be an important part in Umairi's story. To the more educated few of you out there, Minerva is the Roman version of Athena, the Greek god of wisdom and knowledge. Anyway, this is the end of this chapter, good news for you, the reader since this will be a 2 chapter 1 day upload** _ **yay!**_ **I have a favor to ask any of my viewers. If any of you are talented in the art of photoshop, can you make me ask new cover for this story? Just PM if you can, Thanks! Please Favorite, Follow, and Review you sexy reviewers (not ;_; pleaze review)**


	17. Chapter 17

**_Chapter 17- Surviving the Unlikely_**

 _Umairi gulped and charged towards the statue, charging his Vertical sword skill._

(Line Break of Justice)

 _Floor 3_

 _December 15th, 2022_

"Uma!" A familiar voice called. Umairi turned his towards the source to see...Haruto!" Before Umairi could respond, the statue of Minerva swung her one-handed sword and hit Umairi, launching him like a baseball.

He hit the wall that the Haruto had entered in and gasped. If this wasn't a game, he would currently be dead. Sliding down, Umairi tried to get grip where everything was. His bottom hit hard on the floor.

Haruto ran to where he lay. Umairi only had a sliver of health left. When Haruto reached his side, he pulled out a health potion and gave it to Umairi, who downed it immediately.

"Haruto, I need your help." Umairi stated while waiting for the potion's effect to kick in.

"With the enemy?" Haruto asked.

Umairi nodded and asked "I need to know one thing though, will you follow my orders? No matter what?"

Haruto put on a serious face and nodded.

"Good." Umairi replied. "Now, let's kick some stone ass!"

Umairi shook his head and picked up his sword, Haruto yelling "Ohh-ra!" Has he did so. The 2 stood in silence, waiting for the statue to make a move, it did but unexpectedly. It raised its hand which soon began to glow.

"My children! I call upon thee to help your mother defeat these _heathens!_ " Has she said this, 5 owls flew in from holes in the ceiling.

Well wasn't this just Umairi's day. The owls were all brown with light brown under bellies and circled around the 2 friends, like buzzards, waiting to attack. The first owl dove in, followed by 4 others, they all extended their clawed feet and screeched.

Umairi charged his _Slash_ skill and released it when the birds were in range. Haruto took out 2 with his bigger sword and Umairi 1. The remaining birds dived back up, using the momentum to launch themselves back up to altitude.

While they were distracted with the birds, Minerva raised her sword and charged a overhead sword skill, which she later released into the ground, launching debris and rocks at Umairi and Haruto. The 2 were able to avoid the debris, but the owls took this chance to dive. Screeching like demons, they barreled towards them, claws extended. Umairi hastily threw his sword to block their attacks, which the owls easily avoided and dug their sharp claws into the flesh on Umairi's and Haruto's face.

"Ow!" Haruto cried has he swatted the devil birds. Umairi regained some thought and killed the bird attacking him with with a _Vertical_ , leaving 1 left. Umairi charged a _Slash_ sword skill and killed the final bird attacking Haruto.

"Ah! You killed my beloved children!" Minerva yelled as she prepared to do the ground slam attack again.

"Haruto, run left! I'll go right!" Umairi ordered the determined Haruto. Haruto nodded and did just that, the 2 running away from each other. The statue brought its attention to Umairi, which was a big mistake. Haruto shot a sword skill right into the statues back, dropping its first health bar by half.

She let out a horrible scream and shook Haruto off her back. "You insolent fool!" Minerva screamed as she turned around to engage her new foe, only for Umairi to charge in and stab her in the back again. Her health bar dropped by half again.

The statue of Minerva raised her stone foot, which promptly shot back into the ground, launching Umairi and Haruto away. The 2 met up again and decided to the same plan, but this time to jump when she raised her foot.

Umairi and Haruto did this same tactic, over and over again, until she was at her second to last health bar.

" Umairi!" A feminine voice yelled. It sounded familiar... almost like...Yoko! Umairi shot his head around and spotted her at the exit, but not alone.

6 other people were with her. the man who looked to be the leader, wore a red headband, red armor, and a Katana at his side. The others wore similarly colored, meaning they possibly were a recently formed guild.

Yoko ran towards Umairi and launched at him, who fell back from the force. Yoko sat crying, while gripping Umairi's leg.

"Um, Yoko-" Umairi tried to ask has the girl held a death grip on him.

"Oh, are we done being lovey-dovey!?" Minerva yelled

Yoko, returning to her normal, shone a bright red from embarrassment when she realized what she had done.

"Yoko! Move!" Umairi cried has Minerva raised her sword for another ground pound. Yoko, Haruto, and Umairi immediately dived away has the attack shot past them and into the wall.

"Yoko, I missed you too, but this isn't the time!" Umairi scolded the girl, who blushed even more. "It's fine, just be careful."

She nodded and Umairi quickly sent her a party invite.

"So, what's the plan?" A male voice asked. Umairi jumped for a second and turned around, it was the man who wore the red bandana.

" We surround it, and when it's distracted with someone, attack its back." Umairi quickly ordered has he watched the statue prepare a new attack. Bandana man nodded and quickly told his friends the plan.

Has they surrounded the enemy, they slowly started to whittle down its HP, until its last health bar was in the red. Then things became even stranger. Minerva's sword shattered.

"You mortals think you have me beat? Nay, you will dearly reget coming to the heathen's aid!" Minerva yelled as she clapped her hands together, a glow spawned between them. She slowly started to pull her hands apart, a stone rod forming in the empty space, until she a had a full blown spear. The whole process took about 30 seconds to complete.

She held the spear over her shoulder and the tip soon started to glow white, Umairi knew what was next.

Minerva released the skill, and the spear shot forward like lightning, impaling itself half a meter from Haruto's head. Haruto staggered back in surprise. The statue clapped its hands together again, slowly pulling them apart has a new spear formed.

"Attack! Attack now!" Umairi screamed, has the stunned group processed the new attack. Has if a switch went off, the group ran towards the statue, yelling a war cry, has they charged their next skills. They had, at most, 15 seconds.

Minerva wasn't moving as they attack her feet, slowly chipping away the last of her HP.

"No!" Minerva cried just has the new spear formed, she hastily used it make a stab at one of the attackers, but it was too late. She stopped in mid-move, then exploded in a shower of blue particles.

Umairi stood their, exhausted. He finally had done it. Umairi dropped his sword and sighed.

Something then hit him right on the chest has he fell back. Yoko had launched herself at Umairi and was gripping onto him. Has he fell back, she was crying even harder than before onto his chest.

Umairi laid on the floor, with a crying girl on top of him. He heard a snicker come from one of the helpers, which Umairi responded with a death stare. He quickly stopped laughing.

"Hey, Yoko, can you get off?" Umairi asked the crying girl. She nodded no and gripped even tighter to him. Umairi sighed and slowly pushed himself off the ground, while Yoko was hanging off the front of his armor. She looked like a child gripping onto her mother. Umairi put his right forearm under the girl's rear-end so he could support her weight. A results window opened, it seemed that Umairi had gotten the Last Attack bonus. He had leveled up again, now level 13. Umairi decided to check this stuff later.

"I don't think we had the honor to have met, my names Klein. You?" Bandana man asked Umairi.

"Names Umairi, that's Haruto." Umairi replied while pointing to Haruto with his left hand. "I'm guessing you already met her." Umairi stated while signaling to the girl he was holding who had just stopped sobbing. Klein nodded and told the tired Umairi

"Come on, let's head to a restaurant. We can tell each other's side of the story there."

Now that Umairi was closer to Klein, he could details about him, like his stubble. He seemed to be extremely friendly and had soft eyes. Umairi felt he could get along with this guy.

Umairi nodded and said sure. The group of 10 left the horrible cave, relatively safe and with Umairi carrying Yoko.

 **A/N And that ends this chapter, which is actually coming out in the morning! Wow! Anyway, The next chapter will be what happened that led Yoko to find Umairi and Haruto. Yoko really does like Uma, yet he is really dense so he doesn't know yet. Like someone else I know. ..*looks at self*. Couldnt find anything in the the wiki that said when Klein got his Katona, so I kind guessed. Listening to the A - team theme song and Halo music while writing a sao story is a great combo! Please Favorite, Follow, and Review you great Peeps. Bye!**


	18. Chapter 18

_**Chapter 18- Haters Gonna Hate**_

 **Must... write...next...chapter...Huh!**

 _The group of 9 left the horrible cave, relatively safe and with Umairi carrying Yoko._

(Line Break On)

 _Floor 3_

 _December 15th, 2022_

"And that's how we ended up fighting that boss." Umairi finished his the tail. The group of 6 newcomers were shocked. Klein and his guild all sat across from the Umairi's guild. Yoko was still staying close to Haruto and him, though he no problem with it, really confused him.

"Whoa...that was all in 1 day!" One of Klein friends, Dale, asked, shocked.

Umairi nodded and leaned back in the chair he sat at.

"I still can't believe we were gone for 5 hours..." Haruto groaned while rubbing his temple.

"Now, explain to us how you found Haruto and I." Umairi asked nonchalantly.

This time, Klein spoke up "Well, it all started when we found your friend, Yoko, crying in front of a rock..."

(Line Break Off)

Klein sat quietly in front of the sleeping girl. She was surprisingly cute with white hair that fell went to shoulder length and big red eyes. She was exactly the most busty...

"Hey, Klein. Stop being a pervert and get away from her. She's been sleeping for 2 hours." One of his friends stated.

Klein waved his hand at him and continued to watch the sleeping girl. She let out a small groan and started to rise from her sleep, slowly opening her eyes.

Klein put on a smile and slightly waved his hand. Has the girl returned to consciences, her eyes shot wide open and she jumped out of the bed.

"Whoa, it's okay. We're not here to hurt you." Klein quickly blurted out.

The girl, her name, it was Yoko, right? Has she completely woke up, Yoko lowered her defence and looked at the other 6 men in the room with her.

Has if someone flipped a switch, her face went from surprised to depressed.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Klein asked worriedly.

Yoko simply shook her no, sat back on the bed, and rolled into the fetal position. "Friends...dead..." she whispered out while looking at the wall, her back to Klein.

"How'd they die, if you don't mind me asking?" Klein asked extremely insensitive like.

"Went missing in the cave..." Yoko whispered out.

"If they went missing, why don't you try the Position Check?" Klein questioned.

Yoko stopped for a moment and shot up, she quickly opened her menu and her hands were blur as she went to check. The white hair girl stopped and looked sad again, Klein guesses she didn't find them.

"You said you were in a cave, right?" Klein asked.

Yoko nodded door her response.

"Well maybe there is no tracking allowed in the cave? How about we go help you find an entrance and look." Klein told the depressed albino, who immediately perked up.

"Really?" She asked slightly louder. Klein nodded his head. "Well, if we're going to help, I think we should know each other first."

Yoko nodded in agreement.

"This person here, his name is Dale." Klein commented while pointing at the fattest in the group, he was obviously built has a tank. Dale had brown hair and really puffy cheeks. "And this Harry One!" Klein stated while pointing to the who looked to be the youngest member there. He also seemed to be the heaviest tank.

Harry wore all metal and even wore a helmet. "This is Kunimittz." Klein continued, pointing to another friend of his. This went on has Klein introduced each one. "Klein, Harry One, Dale, Kunimittz, Issin, and Dynamm." Klein quickly recapped for the Albino girl.

"Now, let's go find those friends of yours!" Klein said, clapping his hands together. He rose from his seated position from the ground. The bandana man stuck out a hand so he could help Yoko up. Yoko pushed aside his hand rose herself.

Klein had decided not to take the girls armor off, for modesty reasons. Klein did want girlfriend, but something told him that that wasn't the greatest idea. The girl opened her menu and equipped her sword.

Klein turned around and looked his friends "Okay, Fuurinkazan, today, we are going to help this young lady in the search for her friends. Are you guys up to the task?"

The group all nodded has a response and quickly went to work preparing themselves.

After they had all geared up, the group of 7 left inn and started their journey to the place Klein had found Yoko. Since you could only have 6 people in a party, Yoko was forced to be by herself. Something told Klein she would be perfectly fine.

(Break a Line)

"So when we found a small cave entrance near where I found Yoko, we knew it would lead to you guys. So we entered and after a couple minutes of walking, we found you guys fighting a giant statue. The rest is pretty self explanatory." Klein told the 2 people, finishing his story in the progress.

"Okay..." was the only thing Umairi said while Haruto nodded.

The group of 9 sat in silence, comprehending everything that had went down.

"-I don't understand much either." The sound of people talking caught Umairi's attention. "Why would you ever want to be a Beater?" One person asked the other. "You know, if I ever meet Kirito, I'm gonna kill him personally." The other stated sternly.

" Hey! Shut up! Kirito is a cool person." Umairi cried while turning around. "Wait, you know Kirito?" Klein asked, a look of shock on his face. Umairi nodded and turned his attention back to the haters.

"Wait, you're friends with him aren't you!" One of the people yelled back. "Yes, your point?" Umairi called back balling his hand into a fist.

"I bet you're a Beater too!" The man yelled.

Umairi didn't reply and glared at him.

"That's it, I'm challenging you to a duel, you filthy beater!" The angry man yelled. Everyone in the restaurant had turned their attention to the arguing people. Umairi ignored them and glared at the man. He had light brown hair which he combed to his right and had light brown eyes. The man looked to be 24, 25.

"Hey, Felin, I don't think it's-" his friend tried to say before the man, Felin, shut him up.

"Let's take this outside!" Felin yelled at Umairi. Umairi nodded and followed the man has he walked outside, the crowd following.

When the 2 people were outside they faced each other, Felin sending Umairi a duel request. They had to bring each other's health down by half, seemed easy. The duel countdown started, Umairi unsheathed his sword and stood in his battle stance. He was ready.

 **A/N Chapter done...to lazy to write full AN. This is the second to last chapter taking place on the 15th, trust me. The updates may slow down since some family is coming into town today. I also decided to give up using Japanese formalities, ex. -san -chan -kun ect. Because it's too much of a hassle for me, so I'll only use them when they are in the real world. enjoy!**

 **P.S. my tactic to get my story known is to just update a has much has possible until people see this really long story and go to read it...it's not really working... ;_;**

 **Guest (Tsuki)- I'm glad you're enjoying the series, trust me, something tells me it won't end for a long time. I did update. I usually poop out 1/2, sometimes 3, chapters day since I'm a teenager without a job in the middle of summer break. I have plenty of time to waste. When school starts back up, the updates will slow, but won't stop.**


	19. Chapter 19

_**Chapter 19- Derp Duels and Long Quest**_

 **Must increase word amount! This is the final chapter taking place on the 15th... finally!**

 _The duel countdown started, Umairi unsheathed his sword and stood in his battle stance. He was ready._

(Line Quake n' Break)

 _Floor 3_

 _December 15th, 2022_

 _10_...

Umairi took a breath with his virtual body. He knew he didn't have to really breath in this game, but it helped him focus. Umairi watched his opponent, he wore medium armor, wielded a one-handed sword, and a large, round shield. From his stance, Umairi guessed he was a defensive person, this was going to be a challenge.

 _5_...

Umairi dug his left foot into the ground, preparing to jump at him. He took this time to take a quick glance at the crowd around the 2 fighters. Most people watching were male, though he did spot a few girls in the crowd, including Yoko.

 _2_...

 _1_...

Pushing off the ground, Umairi launched himself at the enemy, charging a _Horizontal_ skill. The blade immediately started to glow. Felin, not expecting Umairi to strike immediately, was unprepared for the skill. Umairi released his sword and he felt the familiar feeling of the system assist guiding him along, Umairi used his body to throw has much extra force into the blow has possible.

His sword flew towards Felin, making contact on his right shoulder. To Umairi, everything felt to be in slow motion. He saw Felin's face become shocked from the sudden attack, he saw his blade dig into the virtual flesh of his arm.

Though Umairi made one huge mistake, by diving straight at Felin, Umairi had no way to change course.

"Ahh!" Felin yelled has Umairi barreled right into the man, causing him to fall back. Luckily, Umairi had taken 30% of his HP with the attack. Unluckily, Umairi was now disoriented and laying on top of Felin in a heap.

"Get off of me, you filthy beater!" Felin cried while trying to reach his dropped sword. Umairi reacted first and jumped away from the fallen man. He quickly prepared himself again in a battle stance, this time, making sure not to use _Horizontal_.

" What...the...fuck was that attack!" Felin cried angrily at his opponent. Umairi ignored the question and waited for Felin to be ready.

Once Felin was ready, the 2 slowly started to walk in circles, waiting for the other to attack. This time, Felin attacked. He charged forward, raising his shield and charging a _Vertical_ skill. Umairi prepared a _Slash_ and once his enemy was in range, he released it. Umairi's sword shot up in an upward slant, parrying the downward blow.

With Felin's sword thrown up and his shield away from his body, Umairi used his _Horizontal_ attack _properly._ He guided his sword across the exposed man's stomach, taking the last 20% of his HP with it, finishing the duel.

"Well... that was easy." Umairi thought to himself. Umairi's name appeared over the dueling area, stating he was the victor. Everyone in the area was shocked, they had never seen a duel like that finished so fast... or so _awkwardly_. The startled teen looked at the faces of the crowd.

Umairi grinned sheepishly and put his left hand to the back of his head.

"How?" Felin moaned while kneeling over in front of Umairi. The protagonist turned his head slightly and cocked and eyebrow. "How did I lose to a stupid _beater!_ " Felin spit out the word beater. Umairi thought for a second, before a plan popped into his head. He slowly bent over and put his left arm on his left leg. Umairi put his face right next to Felin's and whispered. "I'm not a Beater, I'm Umairi."

He rose back from his position and returned to his friends. Haruto's jaw was to the ground and Yoko's eyes were slightly bigger than usually. " What?" Umairi questioned.

"That... has to be... the derpiest duel I have _ever_ seen." Klein told Umairi. Umairi blushed slightly "I'm new to this thing! Okay."

That's when Umairi realized that everyone's attention was on him. For some reason, Umairi never liked being the center of attention, so when he realized this, his face glowed an even brighter red. "Is it me, or is it really hot out?" Umairi nervously asked Haruto.

"Yeah, it is. Let's go." Haruto replied as if it was obvious. The group of 9 awkwardly backed away from the shocked group and made their way towards an inn.

(Le Line Break)

 _Floor 3_

 _December 16th, 2022_

Umairi face turned even redder as he walked. He could hear people whispering about, mostly about his duel. He kept getting sideway glances, and even 2 girls who were walking by giggled when they saw him.

"Hey, don't feel bad, we've all have had bad duels!" Klein stated while patting the embarrassed teen on the back.

"Really?" Umairi asked while looking at him. "No..." Klein answered honestly. Umairi hunched over and looked at the ground. He didn't have much shame, but this was plain embarrassing.

The group walked in silence and tried their best to ignore the people staring at them, well, staring at Umairi.

"Let's go look for a quest!" One of Klein's friends chirped in.

"I don't see why not..." Umairi stated while shrugging his shoulders.

"Okay then, let's go find a quest!" Klein told the group has he took lead.

The group wandered the large city of _Wald_ , looking for quest. After an hour of searching, they gave up and walked into a small restaurant.

When Umairi entered, his virtual nose was assaulted by the smell of fire. They restaurant was pretty bare besides 5 tables and a small counter. The walls were made of wood logs stacked on top of each other and there were 3 small windows on each wall besides the back. To his near right, there was a small fireplace with 2 rocking chairs in front of it. An old woman was silently sweeping the small food store.

She had white hair with soft brown eyes and had a slight hunch. She wore a old looking, green dress and a white apron with a pink outline. Has the group entered, she looked up and her eyes started to glow with joy.

"Welcome! Welcome! Here take a seat and I'll get you adventurers some water!" The old woman stated while quickly rushing to a small door behind the counter.

The group sat down at a large table and waited for the old lady to return. When she did, she came carrying a large, glass pitcher and a stack of glass cups. She gingerly set them down and poured each of them some water. Has she scanned the faces of the group, her soft brown eyes rested on Yoko.

"Aw, well aren't you the cutest thing." The lady moewed while walking over to her. She bent over slightly and pinched Yoko's cheeks, stretching her face. Yoko grunted and Umairi almost giggled watching Yoko's expression. He could tell the others were holding in laughs too.

"Such pretty white hair you have and smooth skin." She said while continuing the pinching "You'd make the perfect wife! You obviously have the ability to birth some gorgeous babies!" Yoko's face turned a bright red to this statement. One of the men watching the surprised Yoko let out a small laugh, which distracted the old lady.

"Oh, sorry about that! My name is Agnes, but you can call me Sofu!" Sofu stated happily. By the mention of her name, Yoko's face became pale. Umairi raised an eyebrow at this.

"Now, what would you handsome adventurers want." She said.

the group each ordered their dishes and Sofu said "Okay then, I'll be out with your food in about 10 minutes!"

About 5 minutes later, Sofu returned, but without their food. Has she walked up to the group, a golden _!_ appeared over her head and a worried look spawned on her face.

"Is something troubling you?" Klein questioned, nowing that this was a start for a quest.

"Well, it seems I'm out of ingredients to make your meals, and anyone else's at that. Do you mind fetching some for me?" She asked the group.

"Yes, what do you need?" Klein asked.

The old lady responded "Well, I'll need alot of items, here I made a list." She pulled out a small piece of paper from her apron. "Though be warned. These ingredients can't just be bought at a shop. You need to travel far and wide to get them."

This seemed a bit much just for some food, but if it was so complicated, that could only mean one thing. A rare item.

Klein noticed that too and replied "We'll do it!"

Sofu's face grinned widely, revealing her yellow teeth. "Why thank you! I'll make sure to reward you all handsomely!"

A golden _?_ soon appeared over her head, signifying the quest had been started. A quest added window popped up on Umairi's screen and he read the info

 _The Old Lady's Meal_

 _Get all the necessary ingredients for Sofu_

 _Wheat- Located on the second floor in the fields around Urbus_

 _Eggs- Gathered from the nest of birds on the highest mountain of the first floor_

 _Yeast- Can only be found in the caves of the third floor_

 _Salt- Found by the lakes of the first floor_

 _Ox's Milk- Gained from taming and milking a wild ox of the second floor_

 _Meat- Gained by killing Boars, Oxen, and Birds_

 _Optional- Bring back extra of each ingredient_

 _Reward- 5000 Col, Rare Item_

Umairi stared at the requirements, a look of shock on his face. He bet everyone else felt the same way. He sighed, This was going to be a long day.

 **A/N well...that was unexpected... I do wanna say, Umairi, Haruto, and Yoko aren't officially a guild. They haven't completed the quest which allowed them too. Something tells me that the duel will be stuck with Umairi for quite some time. Don't worry, Argo will be coming soon. Patience my young reader. I also think I found some friendly competition, the story** _ **A Place For Both**_ **by** _ **Velcar**_ **. I noticed that both of our story's are small, near 20 chapters, and near 25000 words. My story shall rain supreme! :D. Jk. My major goal for this story is to go through each floor without major time skips. Something tells me this story is going to be REALLY long. Still looking for a cover, though I might attempt to make one myslelf. When I first wrote this, it was only 966 words, now it's 1,838... Yas Pleaze.**

 **Well, I'll be writing the next chapter, so please Follow, Favorite, and Review you awesome SAO fans. Goodbye and see you the next chapter!**


	20. Chapter 20

_**Chapter 20- Venus and Silica**_

 **Listening to Russian Anthem while about to write 2000+ word chapter. Stronk story! Got first part done, will finish the rest tomorrow morning.**

 **Just went on a huge anime binge. New favorite anime called** _ **GATE**_ **. Why can't I read Japanese because I want to read the Manga so bad!**

 **Okay enough procrastination, let's go! I've downloaded an hour worth of SAO music just for this! 20th Chapter Special, Let's rock!**

 _He sighed, This was going to be a long day._

(Lè Lìnè Brèàk)

 _Floor 3_

 _December 16th, 2022_

The group of people walked on, they had spent 2 hours looking for a cave. Klein had put forward the idea of going to the cave Umairi and Haruto had been, but Yoko immediately declined it. The path they were following seemed to just go in a circle.

" Uhh! We've been walking for hours!" Haruto groaned as he shuffled onward through the thick forest.

"Suck it up. I'm not happy too, but think of the rare item!" Umairi responded tiredly.

"There has to be more than 1 cave on this floor." Klein mumbled to himself.

The group of 9 searched, and searched, and searched, but still had no luck. The group soon after gave up and prepared to head back to town.

"Hey, wait. What's that?" One of Klein's friends called. The entire group stopped and tried to focus on what the man was talking about. "Dynamm, there's nothing there. Don't get our hopes up." Klein ordered his fellow member.

"No, there's seriously something there!" Dynamm argued. "Fine, then lead the way!" Klein told him sarcastically.

Dynamm nodded and walked towards the thing he had supposedly saw. Umairi couldn't see anything besides trees and ground.

"Hey guys, there is something here!" Dynamm called back to the main group. Everyone hurriedly went to where Dynamm was, hoping for something interesting to finally happen.

When Umairi reached his location, he was greeted with a cave entrance neatly tucked away between 2 rocks. The entrance stood at around 5 meters tall and 1 1/2 meters wide. Everyone hesitantly walked forward preparing their weapons. The cave was only wide enough to allow 2 people to walk in, shoulder to shoulder, so they stayed in a single file line.

After about 5 minutes of walking in the dark, Haruto spoke up "Does anyone have a light source?" Nobody answered, which Haruto took has a no.

5 more minutes later, Umairi spotted something ahead of them. A light! The group of 9 walked hurriedly towards the light, it wasn't very bright, but it was noticeable.

Has the group entered the room, their were taken aback. Before them stood a fancy marble archway which stood at about 5 meters tall. On each pillar was a nude female who wrapped itself around the pillar, flowers surrounding the bodies.

"Why hello there..." a feminine voice whispered. Umairi's head quickly shot up and he looked around. None of the other people seemed to be affected and there was no one around him.

"Don't worry about them, they can't hear me." The voice stated with a teasing like tone. "Who are you?" Umairi thought to himself.

"I am Venus, the goddess of Love." Venus purred. " Wait, how'd you know what I just thought of?" Umairi thought to himself.

"I can read your mind, silly." She joyfully answered. "I can also read your memories, and I see you've already met Minerva. I can- wait...what's this? Oh you naughty boy." Venus stated, a chuckle in her voice.

"Hey! What are you looking at!?" Umairi internally yelled. A brief image of a very _private_ moment Umairi was having with himself popped into his head. The teen could feel his face glow extremely red, his cheeks burning.

"Hey, Umairi, you okay?" Haruto asked the spaced out teen, who quickly nodded.

"Oh ho ho. I didn't know men could-" Venus was promptly cut off by a flustered Umairi "SHUT UP! Shut up! Shut up! What do you want!"

"Fine, I'll stop digging through your memories." Venus sighed. "What I want is to know what _you_ want."

Umairi quickly collected himself and took a deep breath "We're here for quest. We have to get yeast from a cave."

"Is that it? Interesting, most people who come here are looking for help, mostly with love." Venus questioned. Umairi answered "Yes."

"Is that what you really want? I could help you with the beautiful young lady with the white hair." Venus stated, seductively.

"Yes, I'm here for the yeast, nothing less." Umairi stubbornly replied.

"Okay then. If you want your desire to come true, you must defeat my champion. Only then will I assist you." Venus told the teen "We accept your challenge." Umairi answered. "Not we, I." Venus corrected. Before Umairi could ask what that was supposed to mean, he felt himself lose control of his body. The body crashed into a heap, and Umairi's vision blurred to white.

Has his vision returned, Umairi was not greeted by the cave again, but by an orange sky. Soon after, Umairi felt feeling return to his limbs.

" Welcome Umairi, this is the fighting ground." The voice was Venus's. Umairi slowly rose from his position on the ground and saw a woman standing in front of him.

She wore traditional Roman clothes and slippers. Venus's dirty blonde hair was pinned up and rolled around her head, it was all held up with a fancy head piece. Her face was soft and round, she had big golden eyes and her eyelashes ended in a point on the side, making her look like a girl from an anime.

The teen looked away from the goddess and took in his surroundings, he seemed to be on and endless plain. He looked down and saw himself looking back at him. The ground reflected everything above it perfectly.

"Where's the this challenger you spoke of?" Umairi asked.

"You're looking at her." Venus replied with a smirk. She grabbed onto her robe and threw it off, revealing a fully armored figure in front of Umairi. The armor was completely golden, besides the red skirt and red under shirt she wore. The armor actually did look to protect the goddess, though Umairi immediately spotted a flaw. The armor had no plating or clothing on the stomach region, which exposed skin. Her head piece had formed into a crown like object, which let her hair flow to the small of her back.

She had a large golden shield and a beautiful golden one-handed straight sword. "I'm ready when you are, challenger." Venus stated, another smirk adorning her lips. The words _Venus the Lover_ appeared over her head and surprisingly 1 health bar soon came after.

"Ready!" Umairi yelled. Right when he did so, Venus shot out at him, charging a _Vertical_ sword skill. Umairi barely had time to parry the blow, but when he did, the shield rammed him right in the face.

Umairi stumbled back slightly and quickly reoriented himself. He immediately charged a _Slash_ skill and shot it out just in time to repel the next attack. This time, he tried not to get hit by the golden shield, which he promptly failed to do, and fell back again. The battle had barely begun and Umairi was already missing 10% of his health

"Mmm, I see... Here, I'll make the fight a little more even." Venus coldly stated, throwing away her shield. The 2 fighters were now even on weaponry, though not necessarily on skill.

Venus struck again, this time charging a _Horizontal_ skill, which Umairi barely blocked. The goddess's blade moved so fast, Umairi couldn't even see it.

Umairi decided this was his chance to strike. When Venus struck with a _Slash_ , Umairi parried the skill and shot out his sword into the soft spot of her stomach. She fell back, a look of pure shock on her face.

"No one has ever hit me before." Venus worriedly told her opponent. "The fact that you were able to pull that off is a miracle within itself. You have bested me, swordsman." Venus kneeled before Umairi.

His body went limp again and his it collapsed. Umairi's vision turned to white to the room he had been in before. He opened his eyes and saw Yoko, Haruto, and Klein bent over him.

When Haruto saw Umairi open his eyes, he blurted angrily at him "What the hell, man! Don't just randomly fall to the ground!"

Yoko's face went from completely worried, to relief, then neutral. Umairi pulled himself off the ground and saw nothing had really changed.

"Hey Klein! We got the yeast!" One of Klein's friends yelled. Klein grinned and did a fist pump. First down more to go.

" Uma, you will explain to me the adventure you just went on." Haruto ordered Umairi. Our protagonist didn't feel like arguing, so he started the story from the beginning.

"Well...when we walked in here-"

(Leni Breka)

"-and that's when I woke up back there." Umairi finished his story. The group of 9 listened intently as they walked to their next objective, collect wheat from the second floor.

"Jeez, Uma, why do you always have interesting adventures without me!" Haruto complained. "Wait, this kinda thing is normal for you guys?" Klein asked.

"Well, recently, yeah." Umairi answered.

"Alright. Guys, pay attention, we're almost to the Teleport Gates." Haruto ordered the group, distracting them from Umairi's story.

Once the group had reached the Gates, they each entered it and shouted _Urbus!_ Where soon after, they'd disappear. When the group of 9 regrouped in the town of _Urbus_ , they immediately set out to buy some wheat. Doing that was easy, but milking an ox?

The group decided to split up and look for information they could use. They all got nothing useful...until Haruto learned of a certain someone by the name of _Silica,_ who happen to have the ability to calm down almost all animals _._

Umairi immediately recognized the name. They had gotten a tip that she was still on the first floor which is where they set out immediately too. The group of 9 went to the _Teleport Gates_ and teleported down to the first floor.

When they got there, the group did the same tactic and fanned out all knew the _Town of Beginnings_.

"Hey, have you seen someone by the name of Silica lately?" Umairi asked random passerbyers. The first one he asked turned his attention to Umairi and asked "Did you same something about Silica?" He was an older man, probably 27. The man was fat and pretty short had short baggy hair.

"Yes, do you know where she may be." Umairi asked the man. He nodded and replied "Yes, she is currently in the village of _Horunka._ Umairi didn't question how the man knew this, not really wanting to know. He told the man thank you and bowed.

Umairi quickly shot a message to Klein

 _Klein_

 _I found out where Silica is. She is in the village of Horunka. Meet me in Tolbana at the main entrance we'll plan from there._

Umairi clicked send and closed his menu. The teen started off in a light jog and started to jog his way to _Tolbana_.

After 30 minutes of lightly jogging, and fighting the occasional monster, Umairi finally reached _Tolbana_ , and an angry group of friends.

"Where the hell were you." Haruto scolded has Umairi jogged to the town's main entrance.

"I had to jog all the way here, while fighting monsters. I'm going to have to slow down." Umairi responded matter-of-factly.

"Anyway, what did you get on Silica's position?" Haruto asked Umairi.

"Well, I learned she is at the village of _Horunka_... that's it." Umairi replied.

Haruto sighed "Is that all you could really get?" Haruto asked, annoyance in his voice. Umairi nodded.

"Okay, this is the best lead we have on Silica's position. We'll have to live with it." Haruto told to the group of 9. The group quickly hot prepared to walk to the village of _Horunka_. Just wait Silica, Umairi needed your help!

 **A/N I have to cut this short since I'm literally nodding off while writing so I'll do the rest later. I based Venus off Leona from League. Ill finishbproof reading later, I'm literally about to pass out from sleep. Please enjoy and remember to Favorite, Follow, and Review you awesome sexy people of readers.**


	21. Chapter 21

_**Chapter 21- The Beast Tamer**_

 **What's 9 chapters plus 10 chapters?**

 **21\. Because that meme wasn't already old. I apologize for the late upload, I finally discovered the SAO manga. Many hours were lost that day. New cover FYI.** **:P sorry for the late upload, family stuff and I'm also a huge procrastinator.**

 _Just wait Silica, Umairi needed your help!_

( What is Line Break)

 _Floor 3_

 _December 16th, 2022_

"So let me get this right, you need my help to finish this quest?" Silica asked while raising an eyebrow. The growing group kept getting bigger and bigger, and with addition of Silica, their group was at 10 people.

"Yeah, we gained word of your _ability_ with animals." Umairi told the small girl.

She put a finger to her chin and hummed for a second. "And what do I get out of this?" She questioned.

 _Crap_ , what were they going to give her. "Umm... you'll get experience." Umairi through down a wild card and hoped.

"I know we've met before, but what makes you think I'll gladly accept your offer?" Silica asked, skeptically. "You might try and lead me to those weirder who keep following me."

"No no no, I'd never do that." He sighed "Fine, I'll give you my quest reward when we finish it." Umairi didn't really want to do this, but this was his only chance.

Silica's face brightened slightly "What is it?" She asked. "A rare item." Umairi answered reluctantly. He didn't really want to give away his rare item, but he did it for the group.

"Deal!" She squeaked out. Umairi felt really depressed, having to give away his rare item. The group quickly introduced each other, and prepared to head back to the third floor.

"Okay, here's the plan." Umairi continued has the group of 10 walked towards the Teleportation Gates. When they got there, Umairi quickly went over how they worked and demonstrated for Silica by stepping Into it and shouting _Urbus_.

Has Umairi appeared in the town of _Urbus_ , he prepared himself has the others went through the gate.

Once the group was together, they immediately set out for the fields.

"Okay, we need to split up for this. Me, Silica, Haruto Yoko, and Harry are one group." Umairi ordered the main group has they sped walked towards the exit. "The rest of you guys are under Klein's command." Everyone nodded and quickly joined their respective parties.

"Klein, you and your group will get the wheat, we'll get the milk." Umairi told Klein.

When they reached the main entrance of _Urbus_ , the 2 groups went off in opposite directions.

After 5 minutes, Haruto finally spotted a lone ox. The group hesitantly walked towards it, preparing their weapons just in case it charged.

Silica walked forward, past Umairi, and slowly raised a hand to the beast. For some reason it didn't attack, but instead gingerly walked towards Silica. The small girl quickly opened her inventory and pulled out an apple, which she fed to the ox. The name above it changed from _Ox_ , to _Tamed Ox_.

"Alright, walk forward carefully and slowly. Do _not_ make any sudden movements!" Silica silently yelled at the group. Everyone did just that and slowly walked towards the tame beast.

"Is It safe to touch?" Umairi asked with a lowered voice to Silica. "Here, let me see your hand." Silica replied. Umairi willing extended his hand, which Silica grasped and slowly put it on the cow's head. It took a lot of resistance from Umairi not to attack the ox.

"Okay, Silica, do you know how to milk this thing?" Umairi asked. Silica's face went blank for a second "I thought you knew how too..." Umairi mentally kicked himself.

"I have an idea, why not just try to milk it like you do in real life?" Harry chimed in.

"Okay, well that means finding the utters..." Umairi responded. After a very brief overview of the animal, Umairi found the milk dispensers "How do I this..." Umairi mumbled under his breath.

"Oh, get out my way, this is how you do it." Haruto told Umairi, annoyance in his voice. Umairi side stepped has the bigger teen reach for the udders. A minute later, Haruto backed away. "Done." He stated.

"Where'd you learn to milk?" Umairi asked, stunned. "You learn things when you're on the Internet for has long has me." Haruto replied. Umairi's face took on a stubborn look "I don't think that's how it works..."

 _Scream!_

Umairi shot his head up and looked at the direction the scream came from. What he saw was a girl running as fast as she could, while being chased by players... with orange cursors above their heads.

"Help! Somebody help!" The girl screamed, she looked to be 16 and had long blond hair. She was only slightly shorter then Umairi. She was also surprisingly curvy...nevermind. he shouldn't dwell on indecent things, especially now.

"Haruto, you thinking what I'm thinking." Umairi told his comrade. "You bet." Haruto replied.

Umairi dug his foot into the ground and shot off, Haruto and the rest of the group following. He was hoping to save this girl.

 **A/N This ends this chapter. Sorry for the late upload, I had family and stuff. Football season is coming up so I need start exercising again...damn it. I have really important news guys. I...Have...FANS! You heard me, I actually have legit fans. On a story written by** _**BloodFiction**_ **, he mentioned how he liked my story after I left a review on it. (At least I review other people's work, unlike my audience ;_;). He deserves a shout out so go ahead and check out his, Sword Art Online: Blood Alliance. So like I said, sorry for the late update. Just barely passed my 1000 minimum word limit, longer chapter will come soon, promise. Please Like and favorite this shit and become a Desu today...**

 **Didn't realize players can't have a red marker. SAO wiki is my saviour again!**


	22. Chapter 22

**_Chapter 22- To Take a Life_**

 _Umairi dug his foot into the ground and shot off, Haruto and the rest of the group following. He was hoping to save this girl_.

( Line+Break=21)

 _Floor 3_

 _December 16th, 2022_

Umairi sprinted as fast as his virtual legs would let him towards the girl. The first enemy faltered slightly when he saw a group of 10 people coming at them.

There looked to be 6 of the assaulters, none of them heavily armored. Umairi didn't care if he turned orange, he was not going to let them hurt anybody.

Umairi charged a _Slash_ sword skill and prepared to strike the nearest man. He wore leather armor and wore a green cape. His face was square and he looked just like a bandit. The enemy looked to be around 35 and had brown hair and brown eyes, his skin was also slightly darker the Umairi's.

When the man saw a sword flying towards him, he immediately tried to reverse, but his comrades ran into him and they all fell in heap on the ground. Umairi's attack missed, but he didn't care. He backed away and waited for them to get back up.

The screaming girl ran right into the group of 10 and hid behind the biggest person near her, which was Haruto. The group of orange players quickly got up and prepared themselves.

"What do you want!" Umairi snarled at the leader. "Hey, look, let's be reasonable. How 'bout you hand over the girl and all your valuables and we won't hurt ya." The leader responded with a snarl.

Umairi almost burst out laughing, this man was going to regret fighting us. "How about you leave us alone, and we'll leave you alone." Umairi while responding with a fake grin.

"Well, if you insist on resisting." The man responded with a shrug. He ran forward and charged a _Vertical_ skill. Umairi instantly responded by charging a _Slash_ sword skill and parrying the blade with ease.

"These people must really be weak if they can't deal with us." Umairi thought to himself has he easily hit away the attackers sword.

"Ah, enough of this. Come on guys, you know what to do." The leader ordered his companions. They all pushed forward and the skirmish started.

5 minutes into the fight and Umairi was distracted from his opponent by an "Ahh!" He looked at the source and saw Yoko laying on the ground her health in the red. Her opponent raised his sword for a _Vertical_ attack. Umairi quickly pushed away his attacker and ran towards Yoko.

Before the man could release the skill, something awoke in Umairi. Like a Lion whose cubs were being threaten. Umairi let out a mighty yell and he charged a _Horizontal_ skill. The teen released it and the blade cut through the man's side, leaving a gash which started to spew pixels. The man stumbled back confused, but Umairi didn't stop there, he charged a _Vertical_ skill.

Umairi's blade whistled as he swung it down on the man's shoulder. He quickly took out his blade and struck one more time in his side. Umairi stood there, his sword in the enemy's side, until his HP went to 0. The criminal stood there shocked as he watched his health drop and disappear.

The orange player burst into a shower of polygons. The bandit leader looked shocked has he watch his friend die. "Fortis! No! God damn it. Guys, pull back!" He ordered. Everyone did that, but before the left, the leader looked at Umairi and yelled "I'll find you and I'm going to kill you when I do, you bastard!" Which he followed up with a middle finger.

Umairi stood there, the adrenaline wearing away. When he realized what he had done, Umairi dropped his sword. "Di...di...did I just..." Umairi choked out his words. He couldn't believe himself, did he just take a human's life? Yeah, the man was bad, but what if he had a family in the real world. What if they were anxiously waiting for his return?

Umairi dropped to the ground and put his face in hands. "Oh god, what I have done..." Umairi moaned to himself.

He felt a soft arms wrap around him in a hug. Umairi looked up and saw the face of the girl he had saved, she was looking at him with large green eyes and a beautiful round face. She had a small, perky nose and thin eyebrows. Umairi's gut fluttered, this girl was just his type.

"Thank you." The girl whispered as she comforted him. Umairi wasn't going to cry, but for some reason, he felt _broken._ He could feel his hands shaking, the hands of murderer. No, he shouldn't think that way, he did what was right...or did he. Could he have spared the man? What was he supposed to do? After all, he was only 15.

No, he would not accept this. How about this never happened. This was all a bad dream. Yeah, that's all that happened.

After 5 minutes of sitting there, Umairi finally rose from his spot on the ground. The girl let go of him has he rose. Umairi turned around towards the group and smiled. "Well wasn't that interesting." He turned his attention to the girl "I don't think we've properly met. I'm Umairi." Umairi spoke as if nothing had happened.

"I'm Princess Keiko, you can call me K, or Keiko." She replied, somewhat suspicious of Umairi's mood. "So what were you guys doing out here at this time." She asked.

"Well, we were on a quest." Umairi replied with a grin. "Okay, let's go meet up with Klein, here Keiko, you can join our party for a little while." Umairi told the blonde has he sent her a party invite. She accepted it.

"Okay guys, let's rock!" Umairi ordered has he picked up up his sword and marched onward to《Urbus》.

(Line Break of Insanity)

 _Klein_

When Klein was Introduced to the blonde girl, he immediately bent before and started to kiss her hand and slowly went up her arm. When he reached her face, Klein tried to kiss her on the lips, but was rejected with a slap.

He lurched back, a red hand print on his cheek. A message popped onto his hud that said

 _Inner Area Anti-Criminal code has been breached_

 _Send player to Jail? Yes No_

Klein clicked no, though he did wonder one thing, how did the girl hit him hard enough to pass the Anti-Criminal code? He shook away the thought and got back up. When the group was done making introductions, they all decided to go to a restaurant to get a meal.

Though on the way there, Haruto pulled him away from the main group.

"Hey, Klein, I'm extremely worried about Umairi." He told the startled man. Haruto quickly told Klein what had happened with the orange players.

"I see..." Klein muttered to himself while putting a hand to his chin. "This will become a serious problem later for him. Your best bet is to watch him closely. I'm not a psychologist so I don't really know what to do about this." Klein told Haruto while wearing a sheepish grin and putting a hand to the back of his head.

Haruto looked upset about the response, but he didn't pressure for a better answer. "Okay, thanks for the help anyways."He told Klein has the 2 hurried to catch up with the group.

Has they walked, Klein threw a couple glances at Umairi. He looked perfectly fine and was laughing and grinning with everyone else. Although Klein did notice something, his eyes seemed to be... _dimmer_. They didn't have the sparkle of a teenagers eyes, but the hollow look of someone sad.

"-and that's how I failed the duel." Umairi finished the story he was telling the new girl, her name was K, right? She started to laugh and Umairi face became one of happy embarrassment.

Klein really did hope he would be okay, but he could ponder this later. Food was inviting him over, and wouldn't it be rude to decline the invite.

 **A/N And that's a trap! Umairi has a mental break down. I don't want to spoil anything but that is going to bite him in the ass later. My internets been acting up lately so It's been a pain to do anything. Uh oh, it looks like Yoko has some competition for Uma, though trust me, Absolutely NO harems. I swear on my honor has a good writer. If you guys enjoyed this chapter, don't forget to give this story a review and fav+follow to become a Desu today. *kisses fist and puts it to screen* Desufist. Bye-ye-ye!**


	23. Chapter 23

**_Chapter 23- An Interesting Night_**

 _Klein really did hope he would be okay, but he could ponder this later. Food was inviting him over, and wouldn't it be rude to decline the invite._

(Line Break of Anti-Harems)

 _Floor 3_

 _December 16th, 2022_

"I'd be willing help, after all you did just save me." Keiko chimed in happily as they ate.

Umairi shook his head. "No, it's fine. We don't have anything to reward you with anyways." Umairi responded.

Keiko closed her eyes with and grin and pointed to herself with her thumb. "It's fine! It's the least I can do!" She answered. "I don't want a reward!"

Umairi shrugged his shoulders. "Well, alright then. Hey, Klein, is that fine with you?" Umairi questioned the other guild leader.

"Yes please! She can stay with me!" Klein energetically responded, his eyes sparkling. Keiko's face became serious. "Um...sorry, but no." Keiko told Klein.

Klein's face became shocked at the put down.

"Wow Klein, you really do suck with the ladies." One of his friends snickered. "Oi! I wanna see you try and get a girlfriend!" Klein responded angrily.

The group of 11 started to laugh, Klein looked embarrassed. The people nearby glanced in their direction, obviously confused by the huge group.

Haruto's face suddenly became a little less joyful and he asked "So what's next on our agenda?"

"Well, we need to go the first floor and get..." Umairi replied has he opened his quest menu. "Eggs for the mountains and salt from near the lakes."

"I know of a couple small salt water lakes on the first floor." Silica stated while raises a hand.

"Well, I guess it's settled then. Keiko, me, Yoko, Haruto, and Silica will get the salt. Klein and friends can get the eggs." Umairi declared while clapping his hands together.

"We can all go to tomorrow morning." Umairi finished. Everyone nodded their satisfaction with the last part. It may not seem like it, but they were all tired, even though it was only 5 pm.

"Okay, let's all head to our respective Inns and get some sleep!" Klein expressed with a smile.

"Um...Uma, I kinda don't have any money." Keiko told Umairi with a face that said sorry.

"It's fine. We're running low on money too. Me and you can share a room." Umairi responded happily.

 _Bang!_

Everyone looked at the source of the noise. It was Yoko. She had hit the table and was glaring at Keiko.

"We can share room, Umairi." Yoko quickly spoke out.

Umairi shrugged. "Alright then." He was a little a confused, though, what was with her reaction?

"Hey, Uma, Yoko, I'm heading out for a bit by myself. Is that fine?" Haruto asked Umairi has they prepared to leave.

"Yeah, go ahead. Just be back before midnight." Umairi responded nonchalantly.

Haruto nodded and left the restaurant.

( Line Break to Sleep)

 _Floor 3_

 _December 16th, 2022, 10 pm_

Umairi rolled over and looked at the wall. Haruto still wasn't back, which didn't really bother him. What did bother him was that dream he had where he killed that man. it seemed too real to be a dream. He could still remember his expression when he exploded, shocked.

He felt depressed. Umairi was starting to think was he truly the good guy. He needed air, now. Umairi got out of bed in his sleeping clothes and exited the room. He walked onto the balcony that faced the street. This was pushing him to his limit. Umairi leaned onto the railing with his arms crossed and looked at the street below.

"I see you're still up." Umairi looked in the direction of the voice. It was Keiko. He looked down and saw she was wearing simple pink pajamas.

"Hi." Was all Umairi said. "What's wrong? You seem like something is troubling you." She questioned, it was obvious she was worried about him.

"I can't get a dream where I killed that man out of my head." Umairi answered while closing his eyes. "It seemed so real."

"Uh...Uma...I dont know how to tell you this, but it was real." Keiko hesitantly responded.

"What!" It can't be! Di...did I actually kill someone." Umairi cried in denial. "It's okay, you saved my life." She responded while looking at the floor.

"If you weren't there, I wouldn't be here now." Keiko stated while a tear ran down her cheek. She looked up at Umairi, both her eyes were filled with tears. The girl took a step forward and embraced Umairi. Umairi calmed himself down a little.

"Thank you so much..." She whispered into his ear. The blonde girl backed her head up slightly and kissed Umairi on the cheek.

 _Crash!_

Umairi quickly shot his field of view in the direction of the noise. It was Yoko, she had dropped a glass cup of water, which shattered into particles on impact. Her eyes were swelling up with tears.

"Yoko, what's-" before Umairi could finish his sentence, Yoko turned around and sprinted off down the stairs and into the street. Umairi attempted to run after her, but she was much faster then him.

"Yoko!" Umairi called after the crying girl, but it was too late. She was gone.

He stopped at the Inn entrance, which was wide open. What was wrong with her, why was she crying. "Hey, Uma, what was that about?" Keiko asked has she walked up to him. Umairi shrugged "I'll message Haruto, you can head back to bed."

Keiko nodded and returned to her room. Umairi opened his menu and shot a message to Haruto.

 _Haruzilla_

 _Yoko just ran off crying. Can you look for her before you return?_

The response came about a minute later.

 _Umairi_

 _What!? What happened. I'll look for her._

Umairi quickly typed out his reply.

 _Haruzilla_

 _I'll explain later. I'll be looking for her too._

A response didn't come back, but Umairi knew he understood.

Umairi returned to his room and quickly armored up. He left the Inn and opened his menu. The Position Check said she was near here in an alleyway.

Umairi followed the map until he reached her supposed position. When rounded the corner of the alleyway, he saw Yoko had her knees to her face and was looking down. Umairi realized where he was at, this was the Inn they stayed at when they first got to the 2nd floor.

Umairi walked up to Yoko and sat next to her. The 2 sat in silence for who knows how long. "Hey, what's wrong?" Umairi finally asked, breaking the silence. Yoko looked up at him, her eyes were still moist from crying. "Is there-" Umairi was quickly cut off has Yoko launched herself onto Umairi. "Wait, Yoko what are-!" Umairi cried out, but was cut off when Yoko put his head between her hands and kissed him. That's right, kissed him right on the lips.

Umairi opened his eyes wide in shock. He didn't really fight it, but he also didn't really get into it either. She pulled away, Umairi was breathless. "Y-Yoko...?" Umairi didn't know what just happened. First she runs off crying, and now she's kissing him.

Yoko's face turned a bright red, she quickly shot up and sprinted away again. Umairi looked at where she was. He sighed and rubbed his temples. "Why do these things have to happen to me..." He moaned to himself.

Yawning, Umairi decided to let Haruto get her. He was already mentally exhausted. He hadn't realized that an _Ethnics Code Violated_ window had opened. He ignored it and went on his way back to the Inn. Well...he would certainly have much to think about tonight.

(Line Wait There's More? Break)

 _Floor 3_

 _December 16th, 2022, 8 pm_

 _Haruto_

Haruto sighed, he was really stressing out. First Uma, and now Yoko was acting strange. She had already told Haruto long ago that she had feelings for Uma, but with Keiko involved, she was acting irrational. That's the personality his closest friend had.

Has Haruto walked on, he couldn't get rid of this nagging feeling that kept saying " _Someone's watching_." Haruto glanced over his shoulder a couple of times, but never saw anybody following him.

"Oi, your name is Haruto, right?" Haruto practically jumped out of boots. He looked around and saw someone in an alleyway. They took a step forward and into the moonlight.

When Haruto saw the person, he immediate knew who it was. The person was the famous information dealer, The Rat. He could tell because of the markings on her cheeks.

"How'd you like to sell me some information?" She asked has she walked forward. "What kind?" Haruto asked skeptically.

The rat stopped and put a finger to her chin. "A little birdie told me about your _interesting_ adventures." She said with a grin.

With a sudden change of atmosphere, she looked up at him, her eyes sparkling. "I'm willing to pay!" She quickly added on.

"What exactly do you want to know?" Haruto asked.

"No, not here. Follow me." She quietly responded. Haruto raised an eyebrow, but followed anyways. The girl led Haruto through the maze of alleyways until stopping in front of a nice looking inn.

The rat led Haruto and he followed her to her room.

Once they were room , she closed the door and looked at Haruto. "I want to know everything that you've been through. Some of this stuff could sell well." She ordered.

"Why would the rat want to know about us?" Haruto questioned.

"Don't call me rat, the names Argo." The now dubbed Argo replyed. "That'll also be 10 col for my name." She added. Haruto rolled his eyes.

"So, you want to know my story so far... well it all started-" Haruto began.

 **A/N bam bop pow! This is the end of chapter 23. Yoko drops the bomb and Keiko starts to form a liking towards Uma. Who will he choose? Only I will know *laughs evilly*. Alright people, my name has been Desu, leave a review if you enjoyed reading. Ah goooood byeeeeeeeeeeeeee!**


	24. Chapter 24

_**Chapter 24- An Awkward Morning**_

 **A/N hello! I want to change things up a little and have the AN first! Please enjoy and sorry for my procrastination. Also, we have cameos! Try and guess them! I will put who they are below.**

 **TheZeldaKid101- Thank you for reading my story! I hope you'll enjoy the rest. I really like this story too.**

 **(TheZeldaKid101 is someone, I guess you can say, I'm an acquaintance with.)**

 _"So, you want to know my story so far... well it all started-" Haruto began._

(Line Break Online)

 _Floor 3_

 _December 17th, 2022, 1 am_

Umairi sat on the bed. "Why did you tell her everything, Haruto!" He asked his friend.

"And how much else did you tell the Rat?" Umairi inquired. " Mostly everything..." Haruto reluctantly answered, he knew he messed up.

"Even about Minerva?" Umairi asked. Haruto nodded. Umairi sighed. "People are going to die now trying to finish that quest. We barely survived it ourselves!"

Haruto looked down. "I didn't mean-"

"It's fine, you didn't realize it." Umairi cut off Haruto while rubbing his temples.

The 2 sat in silence for quite sometime.

''Hey, Uma?" Haruto asked Umairi. "What happened with Yoko?"

Umairi was taken a little aback by the question. "Well she...she kissed me." Umairi answered while his face turned slightly red.

Haruto's face went from sullen to what looked like a lenny face. "And go on..."

"Well, I...um... never really kissed a girl before...so I was little surprised." Umairi stated while rubbing the back of his head, his cheeks a bright red.

Umairi sighed "Her face was really soft..." Umairi told himself has he started to nod off.

Haruto's face became very interested "Go on..."

"And she gave a warmth that was great and her chest on my arm- No! I can't be thinking about such indecent things." Umairi cried out while shaking his head. Haruto sighed "You're no fun."

Umairi glared at him "This does not leave this room!" He ordered. Haruto shrugged and laid himself on the floor, Umairi laid down in bed. Since 2 bed bedrooms were much more expensive, the 2 had settled on a 1 bed room and after a friendly neighborhood duel to see who would get the bed, the rest is pretty self explanatory.

Umairi stared at the ceiling, pushing out the memories of the man he killed. His thoughts soon wandered to Yoko and Keiko. The 2 were both girls, which was pretty obvious, but he felt something strange, especially towards Yoko. It was like a feeling in his chest that made him want...well...more was the best word he knew.

Umairi relived the kiss in head and he felt his face turn red again. After what felt like hours, Umairi finally fell asleep.

(Line Bre *yawn* ak)

 _Floor 3_

 _December 17th, 2022, Morning_

Umairi's eyes slowly opened. He stretched his legs and slowly rose out of bed. The half awake teen looked around the room, he saw Haruto sleeping in the corner and not much else of interest.

He rose and walked to the door. With a silent swing, the door opened he walked into the morning sun. Even if this was only a game, it felt so real. He yawned and entered back into the room. Deciding not to wake Haruto, Umairi quietly armored up and equipped his sword.

The morning air was cool and a slight breeze flew has Umairi left the room. He took a right and went down the flight of stairs until he reached the lower level door, which he opened and entered.

The NPC smiled has he entered "Hello, adventurer! How was your sleep?" He asked. Haruto ignored the question and entered into the small mess hall area the Inn had.

Has he walked in, his virtual nose was greeted by the smell of meat and bread. When he sat down, he saw Yoko was at the table too. Umairi looked at her and she looked at him, they both turned red in the face and promptly looked away.

"So...Yoko...how was your morning?" Umairi asked trying to ignore the awkward atmosphere. Yoko ignored the question and turned an ever darker shade of red. She looked down at the table and fidgeted.

When the NPC waitress came with the food, the 2 took the plates and ate in silence. Umairi tried to focus on his plate of bacon and biscuits, but couldn't help glance at Yoko.

"You guys are up early." A tired voice spoke, which was coupled with a yawn. Umairi looked at the source and saw Silica walking into the room has well. She was still in her sleepwear, which was a pink long sleeved shirt and pants, like Keiko's. Silica sat down near Umairi and soon after received her food.

She made no attempt to converse has the 3 ate in silence. For what felt like hours, the room finally started to fill with people. There were obviously others besides Klein and friends, but they still hadn't woke up yet. A girl with long brown hair and green armor entered, a large buff man with short black hair and mostly black clothes entered soon after.

What really startled Umairi were 2 twins who entered last. They had long platinum blonde hair and beautiful eyes. Their faces were like dolls, flawless, smooth. Umairi's jaw dropped, was it even possible to be that gorgeous in real life?

Umairi shook his head and looked away. They obviously didn't like being looked at. Everyone sat in the their own spot, minding each other's business, until Klein and friends enter.

"Good morning, Umairi!" Klein cried as he entered. The rest of his friends came in one by one, ignoring everyone present.

The group of 6 took a seat next to Umairi and Yoko.

"So Umairi, how'd you sleep?" Klein asked while stretching his back. Umairi shrugged. "And you Yoko?" He continued. Umairi looked at the girl, waiting for her answer. Yoko looked up and nodded, but before she looked down, Umairi and Yoko made eye contact. She quickly blushed and looked away. Umairi did the same.

Klein raised an eyebrow but then slowly started to ask questions with the face Haruto had. "Uma, what's going on between you and Yoko?" He asked playfully.

Umairi shook his head and continued eating, his face burning up even more. "You're acting oddly suspicious for it being no." Klein continued, his friends asking the same question.

Umairi's face turned brighter and brighter, until he got up and yelled "I'm going to a wake Haruto!"

"Hey Uma, what are you yelling about?" A tired Haruto asked while walking in and rubbing his eyes.

"Well, I'll go get-" Umairi tried to continue has Keiko walked in soon after Haruto. "Sup." She simply stated while yawning. The 2 took a seat with the rest of the group.

Umairi scowled and decided not to talk with anyone and stayed in his little bubble. He knew Haruto was telling Klein about what had happened with Yoko because of his surprised voice. Haruto would regret that later.

So after a hearty breakfast, the group prepared head down to the first floor. A couple hours later, the group walked into the _Teleportation_ Gate and shouted their designation.

When Umairi opened his phantom eyes, he was greeted with sight of the first floors' T _eportation Gates._ The group stepped off and went to finish the quest.

 **A/N ohmigod, Uma is being awkward around Yoko. I have decided to not use** **《》** **and stick with** _ **italic**_ **. It's much simpler for me and it honestly looks nicer to me too. The cameos are...**

 **Rei and Rai from** _ **Death Game?**_ **By** _ **Tigersight**_ **aka the twins**

 **Gary Stunnings from** _ **The Tale of Gary Stunning: A Typically Obnoxious SAO Self Insert Story**_ **by** _ **HarrowedBow1**_ **aka the buff guy**

 **And the final one is Zelda from** _ **SAO: Time's Intervention**_ **by** _ **TheZeldaKid101**_ **aka the brown haired person** _ **.**_

 _ **DISCLAIMER: THE CAMEOS ARE NOT, I REPEAT, ARE NOT CANON TO THE ORIGINAL STORY THAT THEY COME FROM**_


	25. Chapter 25

**_Chapter 25- The Mountain Lake_**

 _When Umairi opened his phantom eyes, he was greeted with sight of the first floors' Teleportation Gates. The group stepped off and went to finish the quest._

(Line Break of Me being Bored)

 _Floor 3_

 _December 17th, 2022_

"Mein gott!" Umairi cried in German as they walked. Haruto raised an eyebrow "Um...What?"

"It's German for my god since we've been walking forever!" Umairi continued.

"Calm it down, we're almost there." Silica ordered, making it obvious she was tired too. The group of 5 walked down the forested valley, towards the supposed salt water lake. Umairi looked at his surroundings. The trees were pine, has expected since they were near the mountains and everything was green.

It kinda reminded him of Appalachian Mountain range when he visited America years ago. He remembered it being really cool and very dense, but he was only 8 when he went. Thinking of this made Umairi depressed, he remembered the real world.

He wondered what his mother thought. She was probably thinking "I knew I should've told him no." His brother was only 3 so he probably wouldn't really know Umairi when he returned to the real world, if he did. His unsociable sister wouldn't really care and his father would more likely hate video games.

If only Umairi could talk to them. He sighed. "Hey, what's wrong?" Keiko asked as they walked. "Nothing." Umairi replied. Keiko glared at him, knowing he was lying. "Fine, I miss family." Umairi mumbled. "What? I couldn't hear you mumbling." Keiko jokingly asked. Umairi knew she heard him but he said it again "I miss my family." He scowled and looked away.

"It's okay, Uma. I do too." Keiko said with a grin. Umairi sighed, so much was going on it was overloading his brain. Yoko was acting stranger than usually, keeping a least 2 meters between them. Keiko was acting more reserved around Umairi. Silica and Haruto's were basically the same though.

After 5 minutes of walking, Silica finally called "We're here." She turned right on the small pathway which led to a medium sized lake. Umairi was astonished by the beauty. The lake reflected everything above it and it was completely clear.

"Last one in's a rotten egg!" Haruto yelled has he ran forward without any armor, or underwear at the matter. Silica sprinted after him, wearing nothing has well. Umairi fell back, his nose bleeding.

"G-guys!" Umairi cried while holding his nose. "Oh no you don't!" Keiko yelled as she stripped and jumped into the lake has well.

"Come on Yoko! Uma! The water's just fine!" Haruto yelled has he swam. Umairi sighed and decided to join in as well. He opened his menu and clicked _Remove_ _Equipment._ Umairi looked hesitantly at the next button, _Remove Underwear_. He closed his eyes and clicked it.

The breeze of mountain side past by him has the nude Umairi stood at the beach area of the lake. Even if this was only a game, Umairi could feel his skin getting goosebumps, and a certain thing has well felt the breeze.

 _Whistle!_

Haruto whistled has the nude teen hesitantly walked into the water. Umairi immediately covered his crotch, his face red. He closed his eyes and dived completely into the water. Once in, he started to swim towards where everyone was at.

"Hey, Yoko! You coming in too!" Haruto yelled towards the albino.

She shook her head no. Haruto grinned evilly. "If you don't, I'll tell them about number 5." Yoko's face became surprised and she immediately went to work removing her gear. She walked towards the water, trying her best to cover her nude body. Umairi could feel his face become hot and weird feeling formed in gut. She entered the water and started to swim towards everyone else.

"No! Nothing indecent! Especially not while I am naked." Umairi thought to himself trying his best to stay calm.

Umairi watched her, obviously ignoring certain things, and he noticed something strange. She had trouble swimming. Umairi swam out towards her and asked "Do you need help?" Yoko turned red and nodded.

Umairi tried his best to avoid sounding awkward has he grabbed her hand and pulled the white haired girl towards where everyone else was.

Keiko grinned has well and said "Looking good, Yoko." The albino girl turned even redder and clutched her chest as she closed her eyes. "Oh relax, I was just messing with you." Keiko giggled.

"Alright, so Silica, where is this salt?" Umairi asked the small girl. She shrugged and replied "Look near the shore, that's where salt usually is in real life."

The group of 5 swam to the shore and after an hour of searching, found enough salt to pass the quest.

The group continued swimming around in the cold water, enjoying the break. Since it was a salt lake, Umairi found it much easier to float and swim. Haruto and Keiko kept splashing each other and wrestling. Silica floated on her back and sunbathed. Yoko stayed near the shore and watched everyone else. Umairi then formed an idea, he left the water and walked onto the beach.

He ran up to a Cliff, which sat about 4 meters above the water. "Hey Haruto! Watch this!" He yelled has he backed up slightly. Umairi took a running start and jumped into the water while yelling "Cannonball!" The teen landed and a huge splash followed. When he surfaced, Umairi started to laugh. Umairi, Haruto, and Keiko all took turns jumping into the water.

After an extra 30 minutes of swimming, Umairi spoke up and said "I think it's about time we finish up and head towards Klein."

Silica nodded and the group swam back to shore where they quickly armored up, even though they were dripping wet.

Umairi pushed back his wet hair and did his best to comb it with his fingers. Yoko went back to her normal self and stayed towards the back of the group. 20 minutes later, the group found the path Klein took and headed to the direction he was supposed to go.

Has the group made their where to Klein's supposed position, a certain sound greeted their ears. The sound of cries and metal hitting something.

The group ran towards the sound, wondering what was going on, and saw Klein and friends... fighting a giant bird boss. The boss was around 4 meters tall (13 feet) and wore patched metal armor. It's feathers were brown and white, somewhat resembling a bald eagle. It's main attack seemed to be it's claws and beak. The armor mostly covered it's back, head, and belly.

"Klein we're coming to help!" Umairi yelled has he charged an _Uppercut_ skill. The group of 5 did the same. No one would die today.

 **A/N and that's a wrap. They arrive at the lake and go skinny dipping because fanservice. I have just received an ass load of reviews from one person, thanks TheZeldaKid101...sort of. I am not going to respond to all them cause That would add an extra 1000 words. No! The original version is only 940 words! Must add more! It's now at 1,300 words, much better me! I wonder what the number 5 thing Haruto talked about. I'll tell you, the reader, when the time comes. Just wait. *evil laughter* I will rule the SAO community with this story! Jk**

 **TheZeldaKid101- I'm glad you enjoyed the story. I thought adding and twist like Yoko being paralyzed would make it more interesting. Thanks for the roughly 24 reviews.**

 **Well...yeah. please Review and senpai might actually notice you (me). Bye!**

 **Late chapter before tomorrow, sorry. Next chapter will be up by 31st**


	26. Chapter 26

**_Chapter 26- Finishing The Quest_**

 _"Klein we're coming to help!" Umairi yelled has he charged an Uppercut skill. The group of 5 did the same. No one would die today._

(Line Break of Writing on PC)

 _Floor 3_

 _December 17th, 2022_

Umairi ran into the fray. "Klein, switch!" He yelled as Klein backed away from the huge bird. Umairi released the skill and felt the familiar feeling of the system assist pulling his blade upward.

The sword cut deep into the enemy's unprotected region, which was under the neck. Its first health bar going down by a quarter. When the boss realized Umairi and friends were joining into the battle, it turned its beady eyes towards them and screeched.

It raised one wing and swept it along horizontally, attempting to hit the attackers. Umairi and few others ducked in time, the others weren't so lucky. Has they they rose up from their downed position, the bird turned its attention to the people still up.

It raised its brown head and brought it down, nearly missing Umairi by mere centimeters. He dived away, hoping to avoid the birds onslaught. Umairi rose and charged a _Vertical Arc_ skill. Umairi felt the system assist start up again and his blade shot up and down in a V shape.

Umairi waited for the _Post Motion_ to go away then immediately charged a _Vertical_ and released it on the birds arm. When the _Vertical Arc_ was ready for use again, Umairi charged it again and unleashed it on the birds underarm.

At this point, Umairi had finished off the first of the 4 health bars. Since this was only a first floor boss, Umairi knew this would be a piece of cake. Switching over to a _Horizontal_ , Umairi sent the attack right into the birds side taking half of his third health bar.

"A critical!" Umairi thought with triumph. He dived away and called for Yoko to switch.

"Aim for the side has well!" He cried has Yoko flew into the crook underneath its side. In a futile attempt to shake away Yoko, the bird shot out its right claw to try and grab the girl, with no luck.

In anger, the bird screeched again and took to the skies, flying around. It took a few attempts at dive attacks, but only flew back up with less health and everyone else intact.

After 5 minutes of flying around, it dove to the ground and landed quickly, blasting air around which knocked anyone over near it.

"Switch!" Umairi yelled has he dove towards the beast, this time charging a _Sonic Leap_. Having learned the skill recently, Umairi hadn't really bothered to use it, until now. The skill took into affect, launching him into the air. Umairi aimed for the spot below the back of the head. The skill soon after launched him towards the spot, leaving a blue green trail.

The charged blade entered its target, leaving a red gash, which started to spew pixels. The bird now only had 2 health bars left. Umairi backed away and let Keiko attack. Has he waited for his turn, Umairi got a view of the boss' name. _The Bird Mother_.

Umairi raised an eyebrow. "Bird mother? Does that mean…" Umairi thought has realization hit him.

Klein was caught digging through the nest when the mother got back, so it got angry.

If they left now, the bird wouldn't bother to pursue, or at least he hoped so. "But if Klein had the eggs, she'll probably pursue anyways." Umairi reasoned with himself. He knew it probably would be best to stay and fight.

Umairi glanced at Haruto, he was busy helping out the other tanks as they distracted the boss. Yoko, himself, and Silica were waiting for chances to switch.

"Silica, switch!" Keiko yelled as she dived away from the boss. The small girl charged into battle, wielding a dagger. Umairi hadn't seen many people with daggers during his time on the third floor, but she used it like a third arm.

Silica was charging skills Umairi had never seen before. She was able to attack in all the weak points of the bird's body. It wasn't very effective against the boss, since it was only a small weapon, but it was very fast and very accurate at close range. She backed away, not very smoothly though, making it apparent that she wasn't exactly used to combat yet.

"Yoko!" The small girl called has Yoko shot past and started to attack the boss again. It was only down to its last health bar. So close and everything was going just fine.

Has the boss' last health bar entered the red, Keiko shot in after Yoko, delivering the final blow with a _Rage Spike_. Umairi wasn't a big fan of the attack because of its low damage, but it was appropriate then.

The bird stopped, let out one more screech and exploded into a haze of blue particles.

The group let out a whoop of victory has they looked at the results. Umairi was so close to leveling up again. No items were gained but it didn't matter to him.

"Oh my god! I got a new weapon!" Keiko squealed happily. The main group hustled around her to see the new weapon. Keiko squinted slightly as she slowly read out the English name "Ba..bi...bird...Clu..Cla...Claw. Bird Claw." She tapped the spawn item, which it promptly appeared in her hands.

The blade was gorgeous, in a dark way. It was mostly black, with red accents on the handle and the actually blade was straight with small indents near the grip. The bird claw was a one handed sword, like most swords, and gleamed when light shone on it.

Klein whistled "It's certainly an interesting looking sword. What's its stats?" Keiko continued reading the info "Plus five speed when wielded at night and or in a dungeon. That's strange...I've never seen sword like that." Keiko mumbled to herself. The group stood transfixed at the strange sword, wondering if it was good or not.

"Hey, Keiko, are you going to use it?" Umairi asked. Keiko thought for a second "Maybe...I'll probably use it when I go into dungeons."

After five minutes of not really knowing what to do, Klein spoke up. "I think it's 'bout time we head back." The group nodded in agreement and set course for the the _Town of Beginnings_.

Has the group walked, they didn't really talk. After some small talk, the group decided to walked in comfortable silence.

When the group arrived to the town, Umairi spoke up "We'll meet up tomorrow and wrap up the quest." Klein nodded his head and responded "I guess, have a good night." The two groups parted, Klein looked back and waved has did Umairi.

Umairi and friends went to their respective Inns and went to sleep,

( Line Break*Inception Bong*)

 _Floor 3_

 _December 18th, 2022_

Umairi opened his eyes. The sun shone brightly through the window. Haruto had gotten the bed this time and was still snoring when Umairi woke.

He stretched his back and rose from the floor. Umairi opened his menu and looked at the time, _5:30_. Jeez, he didn't usually wake up this early in real life. Umairi yawned and rose from the floor. The teen quietly left the room and walked onto the outside balcony.

He leaned onto the railing and sighed. He can't believe this game has only been around for a month. It's felt like years to him. The sun that shined on him felt so real, yet it wasn't. How did this even happen to him.

 _Yawn_!

Umairi turned his attention to the source, it was Keiko. "Why are you up so early?" She asked sleepily while rubbing her eyes.

"It's too late to go back to sleep." Umairi replied sleepily. Keiko leaned on the railing next to Umairi. "This game is gorgeous, huh." Keiko asked. Umairi nodded.

The two stood silently staring at the rising sun has it took its place in _Aincrad's_ sky. "Hey...Uma…" Keiko began. "Yes?" Umairi asked in return. "Well...I don't know how to say this...but…" Keiko all of a sudden turned a bright red and looked away. "I...I think I like you."

Umairi was shocked. "Y-you mean like friends?" He asked, surprised. Keiko looked at him, her cheeks a bright red "No...I think has in _love_ you."

Umairi was quite literally stunned. First Yoko and now Keiko. Oh god, he had to make a choice, Yoko or Keiko. He gulped.

"Uh…" He gasped out and looked around. "I need some time to think." was all Umairi could ask has his brain processed this new bit of information.

Keiko looked sad, almost to the point of tears. "No! Don't think I'm rejecting you, I just need to think." This seemed to calm her down. "Well, I should go get ready now." Keiko nodded and returned to her room has well.

Umairi carefully opened his door and entered. He gingerly closed the door and put his back to it. Why know. Umairi slid down the door and looked at the ceiling while he sat.

"You have to be kidding me." He thought to himself. To be honest, Umairi was happy to think girls actually liked him since he's never had a girlfriend, but two! At the same time too.

He didn't know if he could take it anymore. The time had arrived to choose. Yoko or Keiko. Umairi soon decided to talk with Haruto when he woke up. If not solved quickly, this would fester into a problem. Umairi sighed and started to gear up.

(Liner Breaker)

 _Floor 3_

 _December 18th, 2022, 8 am_

"Why thank you, young adventurers. I will repay you with a relic which has been passed down my family for generations." Sofu said with excitement.

The old woman, or Sofu, went to the back room and walked out carrying a large wooden box. "Here we go. May I know what kind of weapon you use?" She asked while opening the box. Klein walked up to her and said "Katana."

"Oh, an interesting choice of weaponry must I say." She replied with a grin. The old women reached into the box and pulled out a Katana. It looked similar to Klein's, but probably had better stats.

Has each person who took part of the quest walked up to her, Umairi last. Each weapon she pulled out, besides Klein's katana, seemed to follow a similar design.

Green blade with golden accents. Each one was obviously different, but they all followed the same basic color scheme.

When Umairi walked up to the old woman, she asked him the same. Umairi responded "A dagger, please."

Sofu reached into the box and pulled out a one-handed sword. "What? Didn't I say dagger?" Umairi asked. Sofu grinned and replied "But I don't see a dagger at your side. I can still give you one if you want?"

Umairi nodded and Sofu pulled out a dagger has well. "Here you go, for your troubles."

Before Umairi could argue, Sofu clapped her hands together and called "So who's ready to eat?"

Everyone called out in approval. Umairi stood there, shocked. Did he just get an extra rare item?

A shocked Umairi walked up to a Silica, which the two promptly opened a trade window.

"Are you sure you don't want anything for this?" Silica asked. Umairi didn't know why she was asking, she already earned. "It's fine, you earned it."

Silica shrugged and equipped the new weapon. The group of eleven sat down at a large table. The group laughed and talked, until Sofu walked out of the kitchen, somehow balancing all of their food on one large plate. Everyone cheered has the food came. Just the smell made Umairi's virtual tongue overfill with saliva.

They each received their food and took the first bite. Umairi picked up a piece of steak and put in his mouth, a minute later, half of it was gone.

Umairi had never tasted something this good in his entire life. Only a genius could ever replicate such deliciousness in a video game. The juices from the meat burst out on each bite. Was this even a game?

About five minutes later, Umairi had finished his steak. The entire group was stunned about how delicious it was. When Sofu came back, she asked "How was the meal?" Everyone responded happily and with thumbs up.

She grinned and when Klein attempted to pay her, she simply said "No thank you. You getting the materials was enough." Klein knew it was futile to argue with an NPC so he simply shrugged and continued talking with his friends.

Umairi rose and stretched his back. "That was good, but I think it's time we leave." The group nodded and prepared to leave has well.

When they left, Umairi turned right and went up the road. When he turned around, he saw only that Haruto, Silica, Keiko, and Yoko were following him.

"Oi! You guys coming?" Umairi called. Klein shook his head no and called back "I think it's time we part ways, friend." Umairi walked back to him and questioned "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's time we part ways." Klein answered. "Here, I'll send you a friend request. If you ever need us give us a call."

But that was Umairi's line. "But…" Klein sent the invite and turned to his friends. "Come on let's go." Before he left though, Klein turned around and waved. Umairi waved back, still shocked.

Haruto walked up to him and patted his back. Umairi looked down and sighed "Man, they were good people."

Umairi quickly accepted the request and turned to his group. This group was a ragtag group of 5 individuals.

"Hey Uma…" Silica asked while looking at the ground. "Yes?" He replied. "I think it's time I return to the first floor."

Umairi internally sighed. "Fine, we'll lead you."

Silica smiled. "Really?! Thanks! Onii-chan!" Umairi stepped back a little. "Um...were you talking to me?"

Silica frowned slightly. "Do you not like me calling you Onii-chan?" Umairi smiled weakly. "Well, no. I was just a little surprised. But anyways, we'll guide you back."

Silica grinned and and said happily "Thanks!"

Umairi was wrong, this was a ragtag group of 4 people. The leader, the heavy, the speedster, and the helper. Things were certainly going to become more interesting with the group of _Shield and Sword_.

 **A/N and that ends this really long chapter of Shield and Sword, PC addition. That's right! I wrote this on a laptop! Uma has to soon choose Yoko or Keiko, and Klein and friends leave sadly. There might be a timeskip soon, but it'll only be a week or less long, so sorry. Anyways thank you again, TheZeldaKid101 for the ridiculous amount of reviews. This took me a couple of hours to write, mostly since I kept getting distracted. So, thanks for reading the PC special version of** _ **Shield and Sword**_ **you sexy viewer. Bye!**


	27. Chapter 27

_**Chapter 27- Elizabeth's Secret**_

 **2000 views!**

 _Umairi was wrong, this was a ragtag group of 4 people. The leader, the heavy, the speedster, and the helper. Things were certainly going to become more interesting with the group of Shield and Sword._

(Line Break of Specialized)

 _Floor 3_

 _December 21st, 2022_

Umairi blinked a couple of times has he entered the forth floor. The area was surprisingly hotter than the other floors, the trees weren't very large. Umairi frowned, this place didn't really feel Christmassy.

Umairi brought his attention to Haruto. "I think we should spend our Christmas on the first floor." Haruto nodded has he fanned himself.

"At least they have decorations!" Keiko piped in with a grin. It was true that the place was, at least, decorated with Christmas ornaments.

"Yeah, but it's too hot." Umairi replied. Keiko nodded and said no more. Has the group of 4 went about exploring the floor, they found it rather plain.

After an hour of exploring, the group agreed to return to the first floor. Umairi walked into the _Teleportation Gates_ and shouted " _Town of Beginnings!_ " Umairi was surrounded with light and a few seconds later, spawned in the first floor _Teleportation_ _Gates_.

Umairi sighed as he felt the much cooler air on his skin. "Ah...this is more like it." Haruto calmly stated as he walked next to Umairi.

The entire first floor felt more _alive_. People were bustling about, talking with each other or minding their own business. The buildings all had Garland hanging from them and ribbons hung on the light post. A giant Christmas tree stood In the middle of the gate area, covered in ribbons and ornaments.

Umairi sure did love Christmas, even though it originated in the west, Japanese people still loved it. This was a time of giving and family after all.

Keiko whistled as she started at the surrounding area. "Merry Christmas!" She cried has she opened up her arms to the sky. The surrounding people all glanced at her, probably wondering why a girl was yelling.

Haruto turned angrily towards the yelling girl. "Oi! Can you please keep it down." Keiko grinned and replied "What? Are you embarrassed of me?"

"I am right now!" Haruto answered back. Keiko grinned mischievously and yelled even louder "Happy New Year!"

Umairi chuckled to himself has the group fought. This is what they were, a happy family. Haruto and him were the parents, Keiko and Yoko were the kids.

"Come on, guys. Let's go explore." Umairi happily told the group. Yoko walked forward without a word, simply ingoring Umairi and everyone else. "Look, Yoko's leaving you guys." Umairi pointed out, which he promptly followed.

Keiko and Haruto soon followed, not fighting but looking at the surroundings.

"Let's go shopping!" Keiko suddenly chirped up has she turned down a bustling market street. She grabbed onto Umairi's left arm and pulled him along, causing him to tumble a bit.

Umairi soon felt a tug on his right arm, he looked and saw Yoko grabbing onto it. When they made eye contact, Yoko's face turned a bright red and she quickly looked away. "I...I want to go too..." She whispered out while holding tightly to his arm.

"No fair! I want to go with Uma!" Keiko angrily called has she attempted to pull Umairi further down the road. "Guys! Can't we just go together?" Umairi asked while trying not to be pulled apart.

Keiko looked upset but answered "Fine..." Umairi walked down the street has Keiko jumped between store, looking at each one's wares. Has Umairi was pulled along, a certain store caught Keiko's female gaze. A lingerie shop, named _Elizabeth's Secret._

"Wait! Keiko I can't-" Umairi tried to say before getting pulled into the entrance. His face ran hard into an invisible wall. A confused Keiko stood at at the doorway, trying to pull him through. "Keiko! This store is only for women!" Umairi gasped out has his face was pressed against the wall.

Keiko sighed angrily. "Fine. Come on Yoko, I want new underwear anyway." She grabbed Yoko by the hand and pulled her Into the shop.

Umairi sighed and walked over to the wall next to the shop. He leaned his back on the wall and half closed his eyes, trying to ignore the strange looks he received from passerbyers.

(Line Break of Underwear)

 _Floor 3_

 _December 21st, 2022_

 _Keiko_

Keiko sighed as she browsed each piece of clothing. She didn't know what kind of underwear to get.

"Hey, Yoko what are you getting?" Keiko happily asked has she looked over a pair of pink panties. "What kind of underwear do you think Uma would like?" Keiko continued. She glanced over at Yoko who seemed slightly taken aback by the question.

"What do you mean?" Yoko asked quietly. "Which underwear do you think Uma would prefer on me? You've known him longer then I have."

"D...Do you like Uma?" Yoko asked with a strange tone. Keiko nodded and asked "Yeah, why?" Yoko's face became a flurry of emotions until it settled on neutral. "White." Yoko answered monotone like.

"You're probably right, Uma is the pure kind of guy." Keiko told the girl has she picked up the pair.

"Now. It's time for you Yoko!" Keiko happily told the other girl. Yoko looked surprised for a second. Keiko grabbed her hand and led her through the shop.

(Line Break Confirmed?)

 _Floor 3_

 _December 21st, 2022_

 _Umairi_

Umairi jumped slightly has a happy Keiko came out of the shop, carrying two bags. "We're done!" Umairi ran his finger through his hair and brought his attention to the two girls.

"I just got a message from Haruto. He wants us to go to where he is." Umairi told his friends. Keiko nodded while smiling. "Where is he?" Keiko asked.

"He's at an inn called _the Sleeping Sheep_. I know where it is." The teen replied has he motioned for the two to follow him.

Yoko nodded and followed, so did Keiko, has they all walked to the inn. Umairi remembered when he first stayed at at the inn. That day felt like years ago. Umairi shook his head has he rounded a corner and spotted the familiar sign.

 **A/N** **This ends this glorious chapter. Sorry if it's short, I just can't wait till Christmas, in the story, obviously. Here's two cool facts. Keiko was not even planned a planned character to join the group and two,** _ **Elizabeth's**_ _**Secret**_ **is a real store in the** _ **Town of Beginnings.**_ **It's shown in, I think, book 4 of the progressive Manga. No new reviews, sadly. Please slap that review button like a boss!**


	28. Chapter 28

**_Chapter 28- Night Terrors_**

 _That day felt like years ago. Umairi shook his head has he rounded a corner and spotted the familiar sign._

(Time Skip...wait I mean Line Break)

 _Floor 3_

 _December 22nd, 2022_

Yoko screamed has the sword impaled her. She exploded into a shower of blue particles. The killers face was fuzzy and blurred. Umairi shot forward, but found he couldn't move. His legs weren't responding.

"Hey, Uma, you took to long." It was Keiko, when did she appear? The floor underneath Umairi disappeared and he fell into the blackness. When he hit what felt like ground, he couldn't see anything. Umairi pulled himself up, his eyes were greeted by Yoko and Keiko.

Wait didn't Yoko die. Umairi tried to speak, but only heard a whisper. "You took to long." Yoko and Keiko said together. "The man died to save us. Was it in vain?" What was going on. The two girls turned around and walked away. Before the left they both said "We hate you."...

Umairi woke up with a start, it was still dark out. His breath was ragged and his heart was beating to fast to he healthy.

Haruto was still sleeping on the floor.

Umairi rose from the bed and tipped toed out of the room. Those kind of dreams kept appearing for the past week. Umairi hated them.

The cold night air of the first floor blew past him has he exited. Umairi walked, and walked, and walked, not really having a designation.

Before he knew it, Umairi was outside of the town, in the fields surrounding it. Umairi knelt on the ground put his face in his hands.

What was he going to do, so much stress was pressured onto him mentally. Umairi felt soft arms on his back and looked up to be greeted by white hair.

"Yoko, why did you follow me? Come on, I'll guide you back." Umairi said has he prepared to get top from the ground. Yoko shook her head and gripped on tighter.

She pulled back slightly and cupped Umairi's cheek. "Yoko..." Umairi tried to say before Yoko covered his mouth. She removed her hand and brought her face closer to Umairi's. Yoko went in, before Umairi looked away.

"Yoko, I can't." Yoko opened her eyes, hurt obvious in them. "If I do this, Keiko will get angry and that will cause trouble for us. We have to think about the group." Umairi continued.

Yoko's eyes start to form tears. "Yoko...please don't do this to me. Give me some time to think." Umairi finished before fully rising.

"Come on, let's head back." Umairi extended a hand towards the near crying girl. Yoko took it with her shaking hand and slowly rose has well.

Umairi walked back to the inn, Yoko in tow. He told her goodbye and went back to his room, she doing the same. Umairi sighed and went back to bed. He sure hoped he had made the right choice.

 _Yoko_

Yoko entered her room has well. She walked over to corner and started to cry. This was the worst feeling she had ever experienced. Worse than any injury, worse than being bullied. Yoko cried for what felt like hours until she fell asleep from exhaustion.

(Line Break of much Tears)

 _Floor 3_

 _December 22nd, 2022_

"Haruto! Uma! Yoko's gone!" Keiko worriedly told the two tired teens as they left their room. "Wha..." was all Umairi could say.

"She sent me message saying she would be back an hour ago." Keiko continued. This woke up Haruto and Umairi.

"When did you last see her?" Haruto asked nervously. "Yesterday." Keiko immediately responded.

"I saw her last night." Umairi interjected.

"What happened?" Haruto quickly asked. Umairi explained the events of last night, but left out the Yoko trying to kiss him.

Haruto opened his menu and clicked the _Position Check_. "She's not here. Her name isn't greyed out so she must be in a dungeon or something."

Haruto started to jog out of the inn, Umairi and Keiko trying to follow. "Haruto, where are you going?" Umairi questioned.

"To find Yoko." He replied, the worry and anger obvious in his tone.

 **A/N sorry for the late upload and short chapter. I had to catch up on some sleep and stuff. That was an interesting night, huh? I now have a general idea where I want the romance to go. Though I'm not telling you. I'm a troll that's why. I know this is under 1000 words. I'm extremely sorry about that. I promise a 2000 worder will be next. I hoped you enjoyed this chapter of** _ **Shield and Sword**_ **. Thanks for reading, see ya.**


	29. Chapter 29

**_Chapter 29- Girl Gone Wild_**

 _"Haruto, where are you going?" Umairi questioned. "To find Yoko." He replied, the worry and anger obvious in his tone._

(改行)

 _Floor 3_

 _December 22nd, 2022_

 _Yoko_

Yoko brought her sword down in a slash, killing the giant spider attacking her. One down, about twenty more to go. Yoko was currently in the floor dungeon on the fourth floor. She was going to complete it by herself, and by herself only.

Not many other people had mapped out the cave, so Yoko was mostly in the blind on where she was. After half an hour of fighting spiders, Yoko finally reached a giant entry way. The door frame was rock and the actual doors were dark wood. It looked like the first floor boss door.

She pushed on the door and it opened without resistance. She hesitantly walked in.

(Разрыв строки)

 _Floor 3_

 _December 22nd, 2022_

 _Umairi_

"Have you seen a girl about yay high with shoulder length white hair?" Umairi nervously asked the passerbyer. He shook his head and continued walking.

Umairi continued this process for almost an hour with no luck. The sun had just risen over the edge of the first floor. Umairi opened up his menu and shot a message to Haruto.

 _Haruzilla_

 _Any luck with finding Yoko? I've got nothing._

Umairi tapped send and the response came almost immediately.

 _Umairi_

 _Yes, She's was last seen entering the fourth floor labyrinth. Meet me at the Inn._

Umairi raised an eyebrow, how'd Haruto figure out where she was so fast? He shrugged off the thought and made his way to the inn.

With the Christmas season around the corner everyone felt happier, yet sadder at the same time. Many people were probably missing their families and friends has of now, Umairi was no exception.

Has he walked, an image of last year's Christmas popped into his head. His three year old brother who looked nothing like him with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. Riku looked almost exactly like his step dad.

His mother, with her long brown hair and brown eyes, who looked just like Umairi. His father, a bald American who met his mother when he was in the United States Navy. Umairi's unsociable younger sister who looked like him. Umairi may say he doesn't like her, but deep down, he truly does love his family.

Were they preparing to celebrating without him right now, not even caring Umairi was gone. Umairi was experiencing a serious case of homesickness.

He rounded the corner of the street and spotted Haruto and Keiko standing anxiously under the Inn's sign. "Oi, you ready to go!?" Haruto called when he spotted him. "Yes!" Umairi cried back.

When he reached them, Haruto immediately turned tail and started to jog. "Hey, Haruto, where are we going?" Keiko asked as she tried to stay pace with Haruto.

"Teleportation Gates." Haruto answered.

The group continued in silence, making their way through the crowded streets of the town. "Haruto, how'd you find out where Yoko was?" Umairi asked while worming his way through the the streets. "Argo told me." He replied Monotone like.

"Who now?" Umairi asked, he'd never heard of an _Argo_ before. "The Rat." Haruto finished off has he turned and entered into the crowded _Teleportation Hub_.

Haruto spent no time waiting and quickly entered the portal and shouted "Lobria!" Umairi and Keiko did the same, soon appearing on the fourth floor. Haruto wasted no time and sprinted as fast as he could to the rumored location of dungeon.

Umairi, being of faster build then Haruto, easily stayed pace with the running teen. Keiko could obviously has well, since she was speed build. (A/N It should be pretty obvious)

Umairi looked at his surrounding has a jogged, there weren't very many trees nearby and the grass with thick and about ankle height. It kind of reminded of the first floor.

Haruto slowed his pace has the entrance became visible. It looked just like the average dungeon entrance. "Hey, Haruto, I need to rest." Keiko stated as she leaned over slightly.

The teen ignored her and entered the dungeon. "Hey wait, Haruto." Umairi called but was simply ignored. "Haruto." No response "Haruto!" Umairi this time yelled his name.

His friend turned around, not saying a word. "Haruto, we know you want to save Yoko, but we need a quick break." Umairi spoke urgently.

"If you won't help me save her, I will." Haruto sternly stated. He turned around and entered the cave. Keiko and Umairi quickly caught up to him. When they entered, they found all the traps and monster spawns had been reset. Umairi was really starting to question of the information Haruto had received was correct.

The group ignored most of the monsters by sprinting past them, and throwing random skills and anything that moved. Has they ran, the group still encountered no Yoko. Umairi could tell Keiko was starting to think the same thing he was.

After what felt like hours of running, the group finally stopped, they had encountered the boss room. Haruto stopped his pace and looked at the door.

"Hey, Haruto, I guess-" Keiko tried to comfort him, but was shaken off. Umairi was also feeling a sense of dread forming in his gut.

Maybe he shouldn't have rejected her. Had he made the right choice? All these thoughts were flying through Umairi's head, until something unexpected happened. Haruto attempted to open the boss door.

"Whoa! No Haruto! We can't risk it!" Keiko cried has she tried her best to restrain Haruto. He easily shook her off and stomped to the door.

Umairi had to do something. A plan quickly formed in his head. Umairi ran forward and tackled Haruto, throwing him to the ground. The teen struggled with Umairi has he forced Haruto's head down.

"Stop...fighting!" Umairi grunted out has tried to force the bigger person to the ground. "Ahh!" Haruto yelled has pulled out his sword from his side and thrust it into Umairi's side with a basic sword skill.

Umairi lurched back has a quarter of his health went away. Haruto got up and glared at Umairi has the injured teen pulled the sword out of his side. Keiko ran to Umairi's side and asked "Are you alright." While staring down Haruto, anger in her eyes.

Haruto ignored her death stare and opened the door. It swung open effortlessly and when Umairi peaked inside, he was surprised. Yoko was running around the boss and throwing attacks into it.

Said boss looked to be modeled after a giant. It wielded a humongous bone shaped club which easily towered over Umairi.

The boss's grey hair fell down to his shoulders. It kind of reminded Umairi of the giants in an old video game called the _Elder Scrolls._

Haruto quickly grabbed his back up sword and charged Into the room. Not another boss fight.

 **A/N nothing new, hope you enjoyed. Bye!**


	30. Chapter 30

_**Chapter 30- Leader to Solo Player**_

 **A/N my god, 30 chapters...Wow...This will be the 30 chapter special! Something I've forgotten about is the fleece...*face palms* wow me.**

 _Haruto quickly grabbed his back up sword and charged Into the room. Not another boss fight._

(Was ist eine Line Break)

 _Floor 3_

 _December 22nd, 2022_

Umairi quickly drank a potion and got up from the floor. The actual boss room was just a large cavern, a large throne sat in the back. That's probably where the boss sat.

Umairi sprinted into the room, his sword out and ready. He didn't plan to fight the boss. His goal was to save Yoko.

The boss turned and brought his attention to Umairi, his red eyes staring him down. Umairi looked upward and saw the boss's name. _Tartarus the Giant_.

It brought up its giant hammer and brought it with a sword skill near Umairi, just barely missing him. Umairi jumped over its hammer and continued running. He was so close to Yoko now, just a little...

 _Smack!_

Umairi felt like a train just hit his back has he was launched across the entire room, hitting the wall, hard. "God..." was all he could say, when he fell to the ground again. His health bar went down by a whole 75% from that attack.

Tartarus turned his attention away from the downed teen to Keiko who had just entered. Umairi rose and drunk another potion. If only he was in the same party has Yoko, who hopefully still had the fleece.

Umairi charged up a _Sonic Leap_ skill and sprinted forward while the boss's back was still to him. He released the energy and felt the system assist pulling the blade along, launching him into the air. Umairi focused his attention onto the back of his neck. The blade soon after flew down and flurry and pierced itself into Tartarus's neck, taking the last half of his first health bar. Good, that left 5 more.

This continued for who knows how long, Umairi and the rest of group just launching attacks into him with no pattern. Soon Umairi was by Yoko's side, they were switching has if they were a well oiled machine.

"Yoko!" Umairi yelled, signaling for her to switch. The albino girl launched herself past Umairi and sent a flurry of blows into the beast. Yoko jumped back and was falling to ground when, the boss, obviously angered, charged a skill and released its club. Before Yoko could react, the club swung down in an arc, smashing the girl into the ground.

Umairi was speechless. His legs kicked into autopilot and ran towards the downed girl. The boss lifted its club and brought its attention back over to Keiko and Haruto.

When Umairi arrived he saw an injured Yoko whose health bar kept going down into the red not stopping. Umairi shot his hand into a pocket and pulled his last health potion and gave to stunned girl. She quickly took it and downed it.

Her health bar didn't stop. There was sliver left, then nothing. Umairi stood stunned as he saw Yoko realizing her death had come.

Until a sliver of red returned, slowly her health bar rose and stopped at a quarter full. Umairi dropped to his knees, tears forming in his eyes. He launched forward and embraced her. Yoko hugged back, has she started to cry as well. Umairi bent over and picked her up.

"Haruto, let's go!" Umairi called has he ran out of the boss room, holding Yoko in front of him. He sprinted out of the dungeon, ignoring the monsters and dodging traps has he ran.

When Umairi noticed a light, he sprinted towards it and exited the labyrinth. He sighed and set Yoko down. The tired teen soon after collapsed face first into the dirt. He lay there, thinking. "Yoko almost died because of my rejection." He thought to himself. Umairi didn't want to be the cause of her death. After much internal argument he knew what he had to do.

"Uma." A voice said. Umairi didn't need to see the speaker to know it was Haruto. With a grunt, Umairi rolled over and sat up. He looked at Haruto, then Keiko, then Yoko.

"I'm leaving." Umairi stated expressionlessly. The three looked confused. "What do you mean?" Keiko asked, still looking confused.

"I'm passing leadership down to Haruto. I'm becoming a solo player." Umairi finished off has he rose from the ground. "I was the reason Yoko was almost killed. I don't want to know that Yoko, or Keiko, or Haruto, were killed because of me."

Umairi's friends all looked shocked. "Oi, what are you-" Haruto began before Umairi raised a hand signaling him to stop talking.

"Goodbye guys, you've been an extremely important part of my life." Umairi finished has he walked up to Haruto and extended a hand. Haruto threw the hand aside and embraced Umairi in a bear hug. Haruto patted his back a couple of times and spoke "I can't stop you so I might has well say good bye."

Umairi nodded and pushed him away. He turned to Keiko who was at the point of tears. She ran forward and hugged him. "Please...don't leave!" She hiccuped. "I'm sorry." Was all Umairi whispered back has he pushed her away has well.

Now, it was time for Yoko. Umairi brought his attention to the girl and this time, he hugged her. She didn't move, her face staying completely neutral. "Good bye...Yoko." Umairi whispered into her ear. He let go of her and looked at them all. Keiko was crying, Haruto looked depressed, and Yoko was still neutral.

"Good bye, Shield and Sword, or should I say _my_ friends." Umairi finished has he left opened his menu, left the party he shared with Keiko and Haruto, and turned around and started to walk. This was probably the hardest decision Umairi had ever made. The now solo teen peeked over his shoulder has he walked. There they were, still shocked.

It wasn't to late to turn back now. No. This was for the best, the best for Yoko, Haruto, and Keiko. Umairi wiped his eyes has he walked. This was going to be a new chapter in the book of his life.

 **A/N wow...Uma is now a Solo player. I honestly did not expect that till last chapter. Trust me though, we're not seeing the last of Haruto, Yoko, and Keiko. I would like to thank all of you readers who have stuck with me through the first 30 chapters of this story. I also reached my 50 chapter doc limit...damn... Here are some statistics on the story has of now.**

 **Views- 2,311**

 **Reviews- 30**

 **Favorites- 10**

 **Follows- 8**

 **But seriously, thank you all for reading my story so far, it's not over yet though. Please review this story, goodbye and have a good day.**


	31. Chapter 31

**_Chapter 31- Alone_**

 _Umairi wiped his eyes as he walked. This was going to be a new chapter in the book of his life._

(Line DEUTSCHLAND! Break)

 _Floor 8_

 _December 29th, 2022_

Umairi sighed as he ate. It had been a full week since he had left Haruto and friends. He looked up and saw everyone at their own tables with friends, laughing, cheering. While he was here alone, eating a sandwich and drinking tea.

The city of _Frieven_ was certainly interesting. It was suspended above a huge lake. The floor kind of reminded him of a swamp.

Umairi took another bite of his sandwich, still in thought. The front liners were clearing each floor at an exceptional rate. It only took them about a week to clear four floors. Each day was becoming a blur for Umairi, it was just an endless cycle of grinding and resting. Who knows how many times he's leveled up.

With another sigh, Umairi finished off his meal and rose. Quickly paying, Umairi left the restaurant and looked over the catwalks and ladders that filled this floor.

He couldn't explain it, but Umairi felt _depressed_. A thought jumped into his head. "I can still go back." He thought. No! This was for the best. Trying to take his mind off these thoughts, Umairi walked into a general store.

 _Later_

Umairi walked from catwalk to catwalk, looking at each person talking with their friends. This just made him feel worse about being alone.

Arriving at the inn he was staying at, Umairi entered and nodded to the inn owner who greeted him.

Entering his room, Umairi dropped onto the bed face first and sighed.

Umairi didn't even bother to undress and soon fell asleep.

(Rine Breake)

 _Floor 8_

 _December 30th, 2022_

Umairi awoke with the morning sun on his face. Sometime in the night, he had rolled onto his back. Not even bothering to prepare himself, Umairi pushed himself out of bed and stood up. Leaving the Inn, Umairi walked onto the catwalks were mostly barren.

Walking into his favorite restaurant, Umairi took a seat at his usual table and ordered a cup of coffee.

"Hey, what with the down face?" A feminine voice asked.

Umairi glanced up and saw a girl grinning at him. She had short curly brown hair and big brown eyes. Freckles adorned her cheeks and she wore two hair clips.

Umairi sighed and looked back down any. "I don't know..."

The girl frowned and continued. "Hey, I can't help if you don't tell me what's wrong."

He really didn't know if he should tell her or not. Eventually, he decided too. "I recently became a solo player." Umairi sighed out has he took a sip of his just received coffee.

She raised an eyebrow. "What's your name?" Umairi straightened his back in order to retain some of pride and answered "Umairi."

The girl smiled and continued "Cool name. My name's Lisbeth, but you can just call me Liz." Umairi nodded and took another sip of his coffee.

"So now tell me, how does becoming a solo player make you sad?" She questioned. Umairi sighed one more time and told her the whole story, starting from when Yoko had kissed him.

Liz sat speechless for a few moments before shaking her head. "Jeez...you certainly have had an interesting month."

"Tell me about it." Umairi said while finishing off the last of his coffee. The two sat there in silence for who knows how long.

"So, tell me about this Yoko person?" She asked. Umairi put his hand to his chin and hummed for a second. "Well, she's about a head shorter than me with shoulder length white hair and big red eyes." Umairi started has he described the girl in surprisingly great detail.

"Well, you certainly remember a lot about her." Liz said, looking shocked. Umairi just shrugged. "But it just sucks. I feel myself wanting to go back, but with all the emotional turmoil I've caused, I just don't know." Umairi said has he rubbed his temples.

"I can tell you really care about this Yoko person." Liz quietly said while smiling again. "Thanks for letting me talk to you. It really helped me." Umairi said while preparing to leave. "Wait." Liz quickly stated. "Yes?" Umairi asked.

"Next time you see Yoko, tell her how you feel." Liz said sternly. Umairi raised an eyebrow. "How do I feel about her?" He asked. "You may not see it, but you care about her. I would even go as far to say it is love." Liz spoke has she placed a hand over Umairi's. "Promise me."

Umairi sighed, but before he could reply "Hey, Uma is that you?" Umairi looked around until his eyes rested on the one person he hoped it wasn't. Haruto.

Yoko was next to him, she looked _hurt_. Umairi immediately took his hand away and sputtered out "It's not what it looks like, Yoko!"

The white haired girl turned around and sprinted away. "I'm sorry, Umairi! I didn't mean-" Liz tried to say before Umairi took off the sprinting girl.

"Yoko!" Umairi cried has he ran after her. What had he done.

 **A/N and that's a wrap! Umairi is now a Solo player! Nothing new! Please Follow and Favorite this shit! Become a Desu today.**


	32. Chapter 32

_**Chapter 32- I Choose...**_

 **32 chapters...**

 _"Yoko!" Umairi cried has he ran after her. What had he done._

(Line Break of KV-2)

 _Floor 8_

 _December 30th, 2022_

"Yoko!" Umairi cried again has he sprinted past the somewhat crowded bridges. Yoko was much faster then him, probably because she was wearing light armor and was an agility build.

He kept following, turning here and there, attempting to jump over obstacles, usually falling or slipping in the process. How was she so fast?

Umairi continued running, trying his best to not get knocked over. He took another turn and found a particular crowded area. Umairi cursed under his breath and ran into the fray, shoving people aside and trying his best not to fall over. In response, people would yell and complain at him, a couple even shoving him back.

Umairi ignored the strange glances he got while he ran, trying to focus his mind on Yoko. He saw her take a turn and when Umairi followed, he found nothing.

"Did I take a wrong turn? No, I'm pretty sure she went this way." Umairi mumbled to himself while looking around. Has he searched, until a quick gleam caught his attention. The teen focused on it and saw white hair peeking out of the side of a tree.

Umairi already knew it was Yoko, so he stepped forward and called her name. "Hey, Yoko, is that you?"

Umairi turned around the tree trunk and saw she was huddled in the corner between it and a building. Her eyes were still wet, revealing she had been crying and her breathing was heavy. Umairi let out a sigh and sat across from her, putting his feet underneath his rear end. "Hey, Yoko. It wasn't what it looked like." Umairi stated while rubbing the back of his head.

"And how can I believe you?" She snapped back, venom dripping from her words. "I swear, I had just met her that day." Umairi tried his best to reason with her. "You said you'd choose. In the end your choice was neither of us." She spit back.

"No, Yoko, she was _helping_ me choose." Umairi reasoned back. "Well, how-" Yoko continued before Umairi cut her off. "Yoko, I choose you."

She stopped, a look of many emotions on her face. Until a grin, a full blown grin appeared on her face. "I've chosen you, Yoko." He finished off before Yoko launched herself at him, and kissed him. This time though, Umairi did react, and he kissed back.

Even if this was a game, he could still feel her warmth, her soft skin wrapped around him. It made Umairi's gut form butterflies.

Yoko backed away and hugged Umairi. "Thank you." Yoko whispered as she clung to him. "Now come on, Yoko, let's return to Haruto."

She nodded and let go of Umairi, Umairi doing the same. "Hey, Uma, can we hold..." Yoko began "Hands?" Umairi finished, already predicting her question. She nodded and extended her hand, her face turning red. Umairi took it, feeling her hands softness and warmth radiate onto his hand. This first thing he noticed was how much bigger his hand was compared to her's.

The two walked back, this time, holding hands.

(Line Break of Love!)

 _Floor 3_

 _December 31st, 2022_

Umairi woke, the morning sun on his face, but not just the sun. Umairi caught a glance of a sleeping Yoko, laying on him, an arm over his chest. Umairi shook his head in attempt to get rid of his drowsiness. He looked closely at the sleeping girl, soon realizing she was wearing nothing besides her underwear.

Umairi's face turned a bright red has he attempted to wiggle out of her iron grip. The sleeping girl refused to let go of him.

What to do, he's never been in a situation like this, he could feel his face turn hot enough to cook an egg. "Where's Haruto!?" Umairi thought has he craned his neck upwards, only to see he wasn't here.

Umairi glanced down, and saw he at least still had his pajamas on. "Yoko, when did you get here?" Umairi asked while poking the girl's face.

She smiled and snuggled even deeper into his side. Oh god, if she didn't go, Umairi was going to have trouble controlling his male side.

Umairi continued poking her face, until she finally woke up. Yoko opened an eye, looking directly at Umairi, then closed it again.

Umairi sighed and gave up. He let his arm go limp and looked at the ceiling. Now, it was time to choose if he would stay a solo player.

Would he even tell Keiko about his choice? Wouldn't it be better for her to find out on her own? All these thoughts pressuring Umairi's brain.

"Good morning." He heard a small whisper say. Umairi glanced down and saw Yoko stretching her back. "Oi, Yoko, when did you get in here?" Umairi questioned.

"A girl never reveals her secrets." She responded with a chuckle. Umairi sighed and patted her head. "That sound a lot you, Yoko." Umairi replied with a grin. "Now, can you get some clothes on?"

She chuckled again. Umairi just realized something, that was the first time he'd ever heard her laugh. Umairi grinned at the thought. "Thinking about dirty things I see." Yoko stated while turning completely serious.

Umairi's face turned bright red again and he sputtered out "N-no! I'm not!" Yoko's face turned happy again. "I'm joking, you're so easy to mess with."

So, this was what Yoko really was like. Things were becoming more interesting for Umairi.

 **A/N after much thinking, I have decided for Uma to go for Yoko! Well, I already knew that, and he chose earlier than I expected. Here's something cool, since I created all these characters, they each make their own choices. I just write how I feel, having no plan on where this is going to go, so basically, I choose on the spot by looking at his they work and making a choice based off how they are, so in a sense, they make their own choices not me. That probably makes no sense, lol. Also, I have created a poll on my profile on if they should go to the 100th floor, please check it out. But anyway please review PLEASE! and thank you for reading you gorgeous non-reviewers... ;_; please! PLEASE!**


	33. Chapter 33

_**Chapter 33- Solo or Back to Leader?**_

 _ **Oh god, I have a case of writer's block right now. I can do it!**_

 _So, this was what Yoko really was like. Things were becoming more interesting for Umairi._

(Line Break 2.245783)

 _Floor 8_

 _December 30th, 2022_

Umairi sighed. "I'm really sorry, but that's what I want." Haruto looked angry at Umairi's statement. "What do you mean by staying a solo player!" Umairi shook his head and continued. "I've only caused problems for the group, just give me some time."

Haruto scowled and Yoko looked depressed. The three were currently sitting inside of small cozy restaurant on the eighth floor. Umairi glanced around and observed the room. There was only about eight tables, each holding four chairs each. They were dark wood like the floor in the place.

The walls were wooden planks, but his attention soon returned to Haruto who began speaking again. "I thought we were back together again."

This time, Umairi sighed. "I'm sorry, but that's my choice." Haruto nodded reluctantly. "I'm glad we got to meet again, though." Umairi continued, trying to lighten the mood. Haruto didn't answer and looked away, anger obvious on his face.

The group sat in silence, until Umairi found it was time for him to go. "I'm going now, good luck out there." He stated while rising from the wooden chair. Umairi extended a hand, but was ignored by an angry Haruto. Umairi sighed and pushed himself out of the wooden chair with a grunt. Before he turned around though, Umairi said one more thing.

"Come talk to me when you're not like this." Before Haruto or Yoko could say anything, he walked out of the small restaurant and onto the catwalks of the eighth floor.

A light breeze rustled the leaves of huge trees that filled the floor and shaded the occupants. Umairi started to walk, not really having a designation. After what felt like hours, Umairi heard a voice call his name. "Uma."

He turned around and saw the white haired speaker, she stood there, her hands holding each other has the rested in front of her. She was looking down at the wooden floor.

"Yes, Yoko?" Umairi questioned. "Please don't leave." She spoke, sadness in her voice. Umairi sighed, "Yoko, I really-" Umairi was cut off has Yoko launched herself at him and embraced him. "You said me, so why aren't you staying."

Umairi hugged her back. "Yoko, I have my reasons. I'll be back...trust me."

She nodded, but didn't let go of him, neither did Umairi. He held the albino girl for what felt like hours, while at the same time, seconds. He could feel her soft skin on his body, her white hair, which fell to her shoulders and covered her forehead.

Umairi finally let go. Yoko, reluctantly did the same. "Yoko, I'll be back." The near tears girl nodded. Umairi turned around and walked away, this time, not looking back.

(Line Break of Writer's block)

 _Floor 2_

 _January 1st, 2023_

 _Yoko_

"Happy New Year!" Keiko called has she raised a mug in the restaurant they were in. Haruto did the same, a giant grin know his face. Yoko weakly raised her cup. The one thing she wished for now was that Uma was here with them.

"Hey, Yoko, what's with the down face?" Keiko asked while laughing. Yoko didn't respond and continued doing nothing. "What did I miss when you guys went to the eighth floor?"

Haruto shrugged. "I bet she just wants Uma here...I think we all do." Haruto said has his town became more serious. Keiko nodded, not really doing much. "Oi, this is New Years! Let's not think of such sad things!" Keiko spoke happily. Yoko still did nothing, off in her land.

The restaurant they were at looked pretty much exactly like Sofu's, though it was more crowded since the New Year has arrived. Yoko glanced out of the nearby window, looking at the trees outside. Where was Uma now? She internally sighed, why did he have to leave. Yoko soon spaced out, ignoring the laughing and cheering of her friends, letting one thought enter her brain. Uma.

Why had he left, why couldn't he stay? All she wanted was for Uma to be here, at her side, laughing and cheering with Haruto and Keiko. Was this too much for her to ask? It felt like a vice was clamping over her chest, and filling it with sadness and loneliness. Yoko set down her cup and opened her menu. She had an idea on how to stay a connected with Uma. She clicked his name pressed send message.

 _Umairi_

 _Happy New Year. I wanted to say I missed you greatly. All I want is for you too be here. Love Yoko_

Yoko cringed at herself, this definitely wasn't like her. No! She would act girly just for Uma! That's what he likes, right? If this meant destroying the image she had built for herself, she would do it, for Uma. Yoko hesitantly inched her finger towards send. "Hey Yoko, What you doing?" Keiko asked, making Yoko jump. "All...Here...Love Yoko?"

Crap, she had forgotten to set her menu to where only she could see it. Keiko started to laugh, though it sounded fake. Yoko's face turned pale and she gulped. "Love yoko?! That sounds nothing like you!" Keiko continued while laughing. Yoko's face turned bright red and her vision became blurred has tears started to spill from them.

She knew Keiko didn't mean to hurt her feelings, but that just went to far. Yoko put her face in her hands has she cried in embarrassment. Keiko's loud laughter soon stopped when she realized what she had said. "Oh, Yoko, I didn't mean it like that."

The crying Yoko ignored her and abruptly rose from the chair, knocking over her cup, which exploded into blue particles. "Yoko, I'm sorry, I didn't-" Keiko continued. Yoko shook her head and soon after, sprinted off. She slammed open the door and ran away from Keiko. Why did she have to join the group!?

Yoko continued running in the pitch black, her cheeks wet from the tears. Has Yoko ran, she could hear the sounds of monster has they attempted to lash out at her.

Yoko kept running, and running until she blacked out from exhaustion.

 **A/N Sorry for the late update. I hit a case of writer's block. Sorry. I was planning to makes this a long chapter but if I didn't finish it now, it would take much longer. Should I focus on more, shorter chapters or less, longer chapters. I want to do both but I physically can not. Please tell me. Thanks for reading. Bye!**

 **the lone gamer- Thanks for the review. I can assure you my story isn't crap, to me at least. And don't talk about Zeldakid like that, she's a friend of mine.**

 **Crysina- I'm glad you enjoyed it, I've been trying to make my chapters longer and more descriptive. Though in my defense, it takes longer to write longer.**


	34. Chapter 34

**_Chapter 34- Yoko, Stop Running Away..._**

 _Yoko kept running, and running until she blacked out from exhaustion._

(Line Break of Border)

 _Floor 9 Front Lines_

 _January 1st, 2023_

 _Klein_

"Oi, Yoko, you awake?" Klein asked while poking the sleeping girls face. He had no idea how or why the girl got to the front lines, but she somehow did, and took a nap in the process. Klein stopped poking her and got back up. The sun had just risen over the edge of Aincrad, casting a gorgeous glow into the glade they were in. The trees were too think to see very far around the glade, it is strange how it came to be in a place like this.

"Dale, Harry, watch over her right quick. I'll contact Uma." Klein spoke has he sighed. They came here to grind but ended up watching over a girl.

The bandana man opened his menu and clicked Uma's name. Soon after, he clicked the send message button and typed out the message.

 _Umairi_

 _We found Yoko on the frontlines. You and your friends need to come get her._

He sent the message and soon after, the response came in.

 _Umairi_

 _What?! When did she go missing? Does Haruto now? One sec I'm coming._

Klein scratched his chin, doesn't he already know she was gone? He typed back a response.

 _Umairi_

 _Didn't you already know she was gone?_

His response shocked Klein even more than need be.

 _Umairi_

 _No, I became a Solo player. Where is the front line?_

Klein responded _Ninth Floor, use the Position Check_ and closed his menu. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Why did Uma have to become a soloer has well." Klein thought while taking a seat to rest.

"Klein, she's awake." One of his friends called. Klein grunted as he got up, and walked over to her. Dale backed away has Klein walked up, which brought Yoko's attention to him.

"Hey, Yoko, can you tell me why you're out here?" Klein questioned. Yoko shook her head no. Why did she have to be like this? "Whatever, we'll wait for Uma to come and get you."

Yoko eyes widen as if in shock. "Uma?" She whispered. Klein nodded. Klein couldn't read her expression, but something was strange about her when he said Uma's name. Klein shrugged it off and took a seat again.

 _(_ Line, Line, Break)

 _Floor 9_

 _January 1st, 2023_

 _Umairi_

Umairi finished off the spider monster with a _Slash_. It exploded in a haze of blue and the results window opened. Umairi ignored it and continued down the road, the _Position Check_ said he was pretty close to Yoko now.

Has Umairi walked, he caught a glimpse of movement to his right. The teen opened his menu and checked _Position Check_. Yep, that's where they should be.

Umairi walked into the clearing and waved. "Sup." Umairi tried his best to hold in a laugh when he saw the small guild scramble to get prepared to fight off a possible attacker. "Oh, it's just you." Klein sighed in relief. Umairi looked down at Yoko, who was still sitting on the grass.

"Come on, up and at em." Umairi stated while extending a hand to help her up. She took it and Umairi pulled the girl to her feet. Umairi brought his attention to Klein and spoke. "I apologize for Yoko. I didn't realize she had run away. I'll bring her to Haruto."

Klein shrugged and responded "No problem. Oh, and Umairi." Umairi cocked his head slightly. "Yes?"

"Can I talk to you for a sec?" Umairi was a little confused but nodded and followed Klein has he walked away from the group.

When they were out of earshot from everyone else, Klein turned around, his face saying he was upset. "Why did you become a solo player?" Umairi slouched and let out a sigh. "I became one because I've only caused problems for the group." This time Klein was confused and pressured on. So Umairi told Klein everything, starting with Yoko running away and ending till now.

Klein put his hand to his chin and hummed for a second. "What you just said kind of makes sense...but don't stay solo." Umairi raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" Klein pinched the bridge of his nose and said "I have a friend who is a solo player. Because of that, he has horrible social skills. I don't want you to become like that."

Umairi ignored his statementhe and bode Klein farewell. He walked back to the group and grabbed Yoko by the arm. "Let's go." She nodded and willingly followed Umairi has left the guild, Fuurinkazan, behind.

Has Umairi and Yoko walked, they did not talk. When they were about halfway to the main city on the floor, Umairi stopped and turned to Yoko. "You're going to explain to me how you got out here." Yoko looked down at that ground and fidgeted. "Yoko..."

She sighed and told Umairi what had happened on New Years. "Keiko did that?" Umairi asked surprised. "That doesn't sound like her." Yoko nodded as she wiped her eyes. "Okay, let's go drop you off with Haruto." She nodded and Umairi continued walking. "For being a solo player, I still some how see Haruto and friends a lot." He thought as he walked down the small path.

When he entered the town, Umairi immediately walked to the _Teleportation Gates_ and stepped inside. If he remembered correctly, Haruto had said to meet them in _Urbus_ when he got Yoko. "Urbus!" He yelled and Umairi soon felt the feeling of weightlessness followed by a view of the floor.

Soon after, Yoko appeared next to him. "Come on, let's go." Umairi stated while grabbing Yoko by the hand. If he remembered correctly, Haruto was near here in a restaurant.

Leading Yoko, Umairi quickly opened his menu and clicked the _Position Check_ for Haruto. He saw the map and where Haruto was currently at, so that's where he went.

When Umairi walked into the restaurant, he was greeted by a nervous Haruto standing by the door. "Alright, thank god. Yoko, are you okay?" Haruto asked after he sighed in really. Yoko nodded in reply. "Good...then what were you thinking!" Haruto yelled. The other people in the restaurant glanced angrily their way. Haruto bowed in their direction and turned his attention back to Yoko. "Why the hell did you run away."

"Whoa, Haruto, calm it down." Umairi stated while stepping slightly in between Yoko and Haruto. Haruto took a deep breath and backed off. "Yoko...please never do that again." Haruto sighed. A pale Yoko quickly nodded. "Okay, now, let's get something eat, I'm starving."

Umairi shook his head no. "Sorry, I'm heading back to the front lines." Haruto looked sad at his reply. "I'll talk to you guys later." Haruto sadly nodded and Yoko's face returned to neutral. Umairi waved and left the building. Time to head back to the front lines.

 **A/N yay! I got my shit together and wrote this! Okay, I have to be completely honest with you guys, the reason my chapters have been shorter is because my parents. My dad made a new rule where it's not electronics past 9 pm, which is when I usually write. Now I have to write bits and pieces between the day and I get distracted much easier during the day. I've been arguing the rule, but I've had no success yet. Wish me luck.**

 **Guest (ARandomGuy)- Thanks for the review! I now have 1 vote for longer and 1 vote for shorter. I hope you're enjoying the series!**

 **And that's the end of this chapter, please follow and favorite this shit and become a Desu today. *Theme music plays, aka X-Files theme song***


	35. Chapter 35

_**Chapter 35- The Information Broker**_

 **3000 views!**

 _"I'll talk to you guys later." Haruto sadly nodded and Yoko's face returned to neutral. Umairi waved and left the building. Time to head back to the front lines._

(Who let the Line Break?!)

 _Floor 11_

 _January 11th, 2023_

Umairi laid back in his chair while drinking the cup of water. It was nice to take a break from grinding and actually rest. The city of _Taft_ was a nice little urban town on the eleventh floor. Umairi stretched his back and looked around the bar he was at.

The floor was wooden panels and the walls were grey brick and mortar. It was small little bar, with a bar at the back of the room and about five to six booths lined the wall. The bar wasn't particularly crowded, but not really busy either. Umairi took another sip of his water while he rested.

Having spent most of his time grinding, Umairi had finally reached level 22. Umairi decided to check and admire his build. He opened the menu and opened his character stats.

 _Level: 22_

 _Skills_

 _One-handed: 468/1000_

 _Sprint: 250/100_

 _Battle Healing: 453/1000_

 _Heavy Metal Equipment: 349/1000_

 _AGI: 44_

 _STG: 22_

 _HP: 3,978/3,978_

Umairi nodded in approval to himself. He wondered what people must think when they learned he was a speed build even though he wore heavy armor. His battle healing and one-handed skills were halfway to being complete, probably because of his constant grinding and sprint was falling behind.

Something that Umairi had noticed is that his armor and Sword were starting to fall behind, even though he has been constantly upgrading them. After everything he and his _Plate Armor_ have been through, it's kind of hard to let go.

Umairi pushed those thoughts out of his head and brought himself back to reality. It was only Five o'clock at night so there was still some light shining through the trees and buildings of _Taft_.

Umairi rose out of his chair and placed the cup down on the table. He'd probably go to bed earlier than usual today, catch up on some sleep.

Umairi closed the bar door and walked into the cool evening air of the eleventh floor. Umairi took a deep breath, now, where was his inn again? If he remembered correctly, it was this way. Umairi shrugged and turned right and walked down the mostly busy street.

Has Umairi walked, something caught his attention. A head of chestnut brown hair that went down to a butt. If memory served him correctly, it could only be one person. Umairi stepped closer to who he pretty sure was Asuna. She glanced behind and Umairi quickly turned and acted like he was looking at vendor. Glancing to his right, Umairi caught a look at the mysterious person. Hazel eyes and a female face, that was definitely Asuna. What was she doing out here though?

Asuna turned forward again and continued walking, Umairi slowly following has well. The hazel eyed girl turned around a few more times and each time, Umairi turned away in time to not be caught, or so he thought.

She turned right and walked down an alleyway, which Umairi followed suit. When he turned, Umairi was confused, she wasn't there.

Umairi was shoved forward and landed on the floor with a solid thud. When he tried to get up, Umairi felt a heavy weight on his back. "Why are you following me?!" Umairi struggled under the weight. "I said, why are you following me?!"

Umairi didn't recognize the voice, though it sounded to be feminine. Struggling to turn his head, Umairi caught a glimpse of his assaulter, it was Asuna.

"It's me, Asuna," He grunted out. "I'm Asuna! Not you!" She yelled back. "No, It's me Umairi." Umairi felt even more weight being pressed on his back. "I don't know an Umaidi." She responded coldly. "We met...at the boss fight." Umairi struggled to speak. "I've been to multiple boss fights." She responded while putting even more weight on his back.

"The first floor boss fight!" Umairi cried out while trying his best to get up. Asuna was silent has she comprehended what Umairi had said. A few seconds later, Umairi felt the weight come off his back. He flipped onto his back and started to pull himself up.

"I'm really sorry, I didn't recognize you." Asuna said, sorry in her voice. She extended a hand, which Umairi took. "Though, why were you following me?"

Asuna pulled Umairi up onto his feet and bowed to show she was sorry. "It's fine. I don't know why I was following you." Umairi chuckled while rubbing the back of his head. Asuna looked surprised by his answer. "So you had no reason to follow me?" Umairi nodded.

Asuna sighed and straightened herself. "I'm really sorry about that. How about I buy you something to eat to show my apologies." Asuna stated while holding her head high.

"Nah, it's fine. I already ate." Umairi smiled while waving his hand to show it was fine. "Well, how am I going to show that I'm sorry?" Asuna sputtered out, surprised by his reply. "You can tell me where you were going." Umairi responded.

Asuna's gave back a skeptical look. "Why do you want to know?" Umairi shrugged again. "I don't know, I'm just curious."

Asuna sighed again. "You're difficult, you know that right?" Umairi grinned with pride. "Yep." Asuna let out another sigh and responded "I'm going to meet Argo." Umairi cocked an eyebrow. "Isn't she an information dealer or something like that?"

Asuna nodded. "You don't really know her?" Umairi shrugged and answered "Yeah, I've never really dived into that kind of stuff."

"Yeah, that's kind of obvious." Asuna responded. "Hey..." Umairi glared back at her. She chuckled. The two stood in silence for about five minutes. "Well, I should really get going..." Asuna said while preparing to turn around. "Hey, Asuna." Umairi asked before she could leave. She stopped turned back around and asked "Yes?"

"Can you bring me to this Argo, I'd like to meet them." Asuna processed Umairi's question. "I don't see why not..." she let out a soft hum for a second. "Let me ask." Umairi nodded for his reply.

Asuna opened her menu and her fingers shot across the panel, coupled with pings, has she did whatever she was doing. About a minute later, Asuna brought her attention back to Umairi and nodded. Umairi grinned and prepared to follow Asuna. She turned around and walked back onto the street, Umairi following.

(Line Break of Intensity!)

 _Floor 11_

 _January 11th, 2023_

"And why did this person want to come along?" The hooded person asked Asuna. She shrugged in response. Umairi looked around at his surroundings. They were currently inside of a nice restaurant, there was a fireplace in the left corner and booths lined the wall with a couple of chairs and tables in the middle. The three people were sitting in the farthest booth to the right.

The hooded person brought their attention to Umairi. "So, Umairi, why did want to meet me?" Umairi thought for a second. "I really didn't know, but I do have a question, how do you know my name?" He asked while leaning back in the chair.

"I now a lot of things. And that's five Col for that." The hooded person responded. "So, if you're an information dealer, how much do you know." This time Umairi asked suspiciously. "What do you want to know?"

Umairi thought for a second. "What's my age?" Umairi asked, hoping to get them. The person opened their menu and quickly opened a series of menus. "15."

Umairi opened his eyes in shock. "When did I meet Haruto and Yoko?" A few more menus and the hooded person answered. "November 6th. Fifty col." Umairi started to struggle, what was something that he wanted to know. "Uh...What is...Yoko's...Cup size!" What the hell was he thinking! Out of all the questions he could've asked, he asked Yoko's bra size?!

The hooded person looked through a couple more menus and answered "B cup, five hundred col." Umairi's jaw was to the ground. "How'd you figure that out?!" The hooded person responded immediately. "I don't reveal my providers."

Umairi sighed. "I'll pay one thousand col."

"Five thousand." The person threw back immediately. "Deal." Umairi answered determined. "Haruto told me." Umairi thought for second. "How in the devils name, does Haruto know that, and why did you want to know!" Umairi said to himself. The hooded person shrugged. "I don't know how much my wallet." He thought to himself.

Umairi thought for a second. "Is there any challenging quest I can do now?" said Argo thought for a second. "How much will you pay?"

"Up to ten thousand col." Argo nodded and went through a couple menus. "I heard about a quest that can give an extra skill called Material Arts or something. Can I learn about that one?" Umairi tagged on. Argo shook her head no immediately. Umairi sighed again. "I'll pay."

Argo sighed and responded "Fine." Umairi had heard her enough to decide that she is a female, so he would just think of her has a her. Argo went through a few more menus and stopped. "The _Martial Arts_ skill can be found on the second floor in a certain location. I can give you the map info. Ten thousand col."

Umairi nodded and opened his trade window, this was going to make a dent in his budget. "Okay, that's ten thousand, five hundred and fifty-five col." Argo stated while opening her own trade menu. Umairi transferred the required funds and in return, got the map information "Well, it was nice doing work with you, Argo."

Umairi rose and extended a hand for a handshake. She did the same and Umairi got a look at her face. Argo had shoulder length blonde hair and golden colored eyes. But her most prominent feature was the painted on whiskers on her face. Well, that explains where she got her name, The Rat, from.

Argo took Umairi's hand and gave it a good squeeze. "Same." She responded has she let go of his hand. Umairi brought his attention to Asuna. "It was nice to see you again." He told the other girl who nodded in reply. Umairi stepped out of the booth and left the restaurant. He looked at his clock and saw the time. Eight pm.

Jeez, well he better get back to the inn and get some sleep. Umairi walked down the practically deserted street in the direction he hoped was the Inn he was staying at. If Umairi was going to do this _Martial Arts_ skill quest thingie, he wanted to be well rested. Umairi took a couple more turns and spotted the inn he was staying at buy the sign, which had a picture of a bed on it.

Umairi entered and nodded to the NPC receptionist who smiled and greeted him. Umairi walked to his room, room five, and entered. Closing the door behind him, Umairi quickly undressed into his underwear, which had become his pajamas, and dropped into bed.

Has he started to fall asleep, Umairi was awoken by a knocking at his door. The tired teen ignored it, but it kept going for what felt like hours on end. Umairi let out a grunt in anger and walked over to the door.

When he opened it, he was surprised to see someone he didn't expect. "What do you want, Silica." Umairi tiredly asked. Silica was wearing the same armor he had seen her in. Silica kept glancing left and right while talking. "Do you mind if I stay here for a bit, Onii-chan?"

Umairi was still off set by her calling him, _Onii-chan_. "Why?" Umairi asked confused while shaking the sleep out of his head. "I'll explain it when I come inside." She responded while frantically looking to her left and right. Umairi shrugged and opened the door for her to come in.

Silica quickly slipped into his room and Umairi gingerly closed the door behind her. Silica inspected the room and turned around to Umairi. Before she said anything though, her entire face turned beet red. "What?" Umairi asked confused. "Uh...you're...uh...I'M SORRY!" She yelled while quickly turning around.

Umairi glanced down and realized he was still in his underwear. He started to laugh. "What's so funny?" An embarrassed Silica asked. "Nothing." Umairi replied, wiping away a tear. He opened his menu and equipped his old pajamas. "You can look now, Silica." Umairi told the girl while chuckling.

Silica turned back around, her face not red anymore. "So, now explain to me why you want to stay here." Umairi ordered. Silica took a deep breath and replied "These weird people keep following me everywhere and one of them somehow sneaked into my room."

Umairi was taken aback. "So basically, you're being followed by fan boys?" Umairi questioned. Silica nodded. Umairi let out a sigh and crossed his arms. "You can have the bed, I'll sleep on the floor." Silica bowed and kept saying "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

Umairi chuckled again. "It's fine, now get some rest. I'm leaving tomorrow morning." Silica nodded and opened her menu. She all of a sudden turned red again. "Can you turn around?" She asked. Umairi resisted to laugh again and did has she said. He heard a few pings as the girl changed clothes.

When he turned back around, Umairi saw she was wearing the same pajamas he had seen her wear when Umairi had first seen her in said pajamas.

Silica climbed into the unkept bed and laid her head on the pillow. "Night." She said while facing the ceiling. "Night." Umairi responded, while preparing to sleep on the floor.

(Line Break of 3000 words)

 _Floor 11_

 _January 12th, 2023_

Umairi awoke to the morning sun shining on his face. Blinking a few times, Umairi turned over on to his side in hope of catching a little more sleep.

Umairi soon after felt someone shaking him. "Wake up! Onii-chan!" Umairi was completely taken back by that name again. "Mmm...What Yoko..." Umairi felt something hit his head. "I'm not Yoko!" The voice yelled back. "I'm up...I'm..." Umairi felt his brain enter sleep mode again, only to be rudely awoken by more shaking. "What time is it..." Umairi groaned.

"Eight am." Silica responded while still shaking him. To be honest, if this was Umairi's real life sister, he would've tackled her to the ground and put her in a head lock. Sadly, Silica wasn't her so Umairi groaned again has he pulled himself up into a sitting position. "Why'd you wake me, Silica?" A tired Umairi asked.

"You said you had stuff to do in the morning so I thought I'd wake you up." Silica answered happily. Umairi rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times. He glanced at Silica and looked at her from a new light. She had short, brown hair which was tied up into two short pigtails by ribbons and big, reddish eyes which were set on a wide, small, face.

Umairi blinked a couple of more times and looked Silica up and down, trying to process what was going on. When Umairi glanced back at her face, she was bright red. "Please stop looking at me like that, Onii-chan."

Umairi shook his head and asked "Like what?" Silica sat on her feet, placing her hands between her legs. "What was going on." A tired Umairi asked himself. He shook his head one more time and started to get up. When he was up, Umairi stretched his back and was greeted by a series of satisfying pops.

"How long do you plan on staying here." Umairi asked while scratching his rear end and slouching. "Until those weirdos stop following me." Silica responded.

Umairi shrugged, he didn't really care. "I don't mind." Umairi told the smaller girl as he rubbed her head and walked past her. "Come on, I'll buy you some breakfast."

"Are you sure? I can pay back..." Silica began before being cut off by Umairi. "No, no, it's fine. You're the guest after all." Silica nodded and rose from her spot on the floor.

Umairi opened his room's door for Silica, who exited through it. "Now...where do we go..." Umairi stated while scratching his head.

 **A/N For my 3000 view special, I wrote a 3000 word long chapter! And we are done! This is now the longest thing I've ever written! Love breaking my record every once and awhile! Trust me, nothing will happen between Silica and Umairi. Has I said, Absolutely NO Harems! Here is the weirdest thing I'very ever seen. I was looking up what Silica looked like for a reference and one of the recommendations was Silica sao underwear, and when I was browsing pictures, I saw a body pillow of her. Like WTF. A thunderstorm is happening now and I'm pretty sure someone's house nearby was hit by lightning because a lightning struck a block away and a firetruck drove down our street with Its siren on five minutes later. Lol. I'm probably going to make the Martial arts skill different from the actual canon, mostly because I have a funny idea for it. I wonder if anyone can guess it. I started this chapter at 11 in the morning and ended it at 8 pm. Yeah, I have stuff do. Please follow and favorite this shit and become a Desu today. *Theme music plays, aka X-Files theme song* bye...**


	36. Chapter 36

_**Chapter 36- A Proposition**_

 _Umairi opened his room's door for Silica, who exited through it. "Now...where do we go..." Umairi stated while scratching his head._

(Line Break Line)

 _Floor 11_

 _January 12th, 2023_

"You really are enjoying your food." Umairi stated while he watched Silica devouring her breakfast. She turned red when he said this and slowed down her eating. Umairi laughed. The morning was still young and quite a few people were out heading off to where they were going.

"Hey Silica, what level are you?" Umairi asked while sipping his cup of tea. "15." She stated while while swallowing another bite.

15?! Here she was at the frontlines while only level 15! Umairi mentally sighed, he hoped she wasn't planning to do anything fighting related while she was here. "What's wrong, Onii-chan?" Silica asked while swallowing another bite. "Wha..oh, nothing." Umairi responded.

Silica shrugged and finished her breakfast of eggs.

Umairi downed the rest of his tea in one motion and set the cup down on the table. He couldn't really do that _Martial Arts_ skill while Silica was with him, so what could they do? Umairi stroked an imaginary beard and hummed to himself while he thought.

"Hahahah!" Silica started to burst out laughing. "What?" Umairi asked confused. "Why are you stroking your face like that?" Silica asked through giggles. "I'm thinking." Umairi responded. Silica didn't pressure on but kept snickering.

Umairi rolled his eyes. But seriously, what was he going to do about her. Umairi sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose while he thought. "Do you not feel good?" Silica asked concern in her voice. "Yeah, I just don't know what to do while you're here."

Silica nodded. "I won't be here long. I promise." Something told Umairi that wasn't true but whatever. "Okay then...what will we do know?" Umairi asked. Silica shrugged and responded "I don't know…" That was helpful.

"We can't grind, we can't leave you in the wide open, and I only have a small budget." Umairi told the younger girl while fidgeting in place. "Hmm...Yeah, that is a problem...I've got nothing." Silica answered while thinking aloud.

Umairi thought a little more, he was pretty sure Silica didn't want to do nothing. "How about we go shopping?" Silica asked happily. Umairi shook his head. "Aren't you hiding from people anyway?"

Silica's face went from happy to sad. "Oh right…" She let out a huff in annoyance.

"We should head back to the room and just have a lazy day." Umairi concluded. Silica nodded in agreement but still looked upset. Umairi smiled while shaking his head, she was certainly an interesting person.

Umairi rose from the chair and stretched his back, he seemed to do that a lot. It was only about nine in the morning and most of the players who lived here were out grinding or something along those lines. Umairi watched the morning sky as the sun rose into the sky. The shadows casted by its presence made everything seem sharper than usual. The eleventh floor's main town, _Taft_ , had no real style to it, the town was best described as just urban.

The buildings were grey and the roofs a reddish brown tile. Umairi took his attention away from his surroundings and returned back to Silica who was rising from the table. "Alright, let's go." Umairi stated while walking onto the mainstreet. Silica followed willingly, not really saying much while observing her surroundings, which Umairi was okay with.

"Yeah!" the sound of cheers could be heard around the corner of the street. What was going on? Umairi peaked around the corner and saw something he didn't expect, a duel.

The two people bashing it out could barely be seen from the massive crowd which had formed. "What's going on?" Silica asked rhetorically.

Umairi stepped up to the back of the crowd and attempted to peak over the other heads. With no success, Umairi started to slowly push his way through the crowd. The teen felt a small warm object clutch onto his hand. He quickly glanced back and spotted Silica holding onto it, trying to not get separated in the dense crowd.

Umairi, after a lot of pushing and in return complaints, finally made it to the foot of the group, which revealed the fighters. A woman who looked to be twenty-seven and a large man. The man wore heavy grey armor which covered everything but his head, which was accompanied by a large shield and one-handed sword. The man's face, from behind at least, was narrow and he short brown hair.

The woman on the other hand wore very light armor with a metal breastplate and red under clothes. She wore a black mini skirt with a red outline and red and black stockings. Her face was wide and a set of large purple eyes rested on her face. She had thin eyebrows and long brown hair which went to the middle of her back.

"You're not welcome here, Dravis!" The woman yelled while waving her hand in his direction. About half the crowd responded in cheers. The now dubbed Dravis chuckled and responded "Really? Well I'm here now, Mato!"

The woman snarled at his sarcasm, she obviously wasn't in the mood for this. "We all know of your " _helping"_ deeds." Mato threw back, making it obvious helping was sarcastic. Umairi watched interested at the argument, which he knew would break into a fight.

"It's for the best, Mato. It's your fault for getting in our way, anyways.' Dravis chuckled back. "I did what had to be done, criminal!" Mato obviously felt a hatred for the man. "Well if you're so right, prove it in this duel." Dravis called back while spreading his arms. "Gladly." The woman responded.

She shot forward like lightning at the man, unsheathing her sword in the processing and charging a green sword skill. Dravis barely brought his shield up in time when the attack struck home. Mato sprinted around the shield and shot another skill into the gap with her one-handed sword. Dravis grunted in anger as his health bar dropped by a fifth.

Umairi didn't know who to cheer for, but something told him Mato was the good guy here. Mato jumped into the air over Dravis' head and brought down a blue skill onto his head, taking his health past the halfway mark. Umairi gasped to himself when he realized they weren't playing first strike or even if their health went down halfway.

Dravis yelled in anger as he brought down his sword with a yellow sword skill, missing Mato who was faster than him by a large margin. Mato released another skill into Dravis' side, bringing his health well into the red. Dravis jumped back and entered a defensive position. Umairi really didn't want to see someone die today. Mato prepared an overhead sword skill, which certainly have finished off the man, but it didn't.

Umairi sprinted onto to the field and caught the skill with his wrist, which left a purple hexagon. "What the hell!" Mato yelled in anger at Umairi. She pulled her sword out of his forearm and screamed at the younger man. "You little shithead! I almost had him!" The timer for the duel died out with a draw appearing over her head.

"I will not accept the taking of a life." Umairi responded, not backing down. Mato sheathed her sword and grabbed Umairi by the wrist. "You're coming with me, shithead." Mato pointed a finger at Umairi. He could've resisted but something told him he'd regret if he did.

Mato turned around and walked through the now departing crowd. Umairi caught a few of the spectator's glances, all of them saying sorry. Had he made a bad decision? The woman lead Umairi through the streets of _Taft_ , not stopping once to check where she was going. Mato took a couple more turns before stopping in front of a ghetto looking inn.

Umairi hesitated a bit, he really needed to return to Silica. "Um...I nee-" Mato cut him off with a shove towards the door. Umairi raised both hands and went to open the door. "No, knock." Mato ordered with a shove. Umairi did as he was told and knocked on the door. Immediately, a voice asked "What does it mean to be a hero?" Mato stepped forward and answered "To assist others." There was silence, which was followed by the sound of the door opening. Umairi glanced up at the large bald man who opened the door. He wore thick heavy armor and had a grey bandana wrapped his forehead. The bald man had circular grey eyes and a thick blonde beard, making it obvious he wasn't asian.

'Welcome back, Yamato." The large man grinned as he spoke. "Who's he?" He asked while bringing his attention to Umairi. Umairi faked a smile and waved his right hand. "Just some dirt, Ruse, I need to see Larken." The large man nodded and stepped aside, allowing Mato and Umairi to enter. Mato pushed Umairi into the dark room, his eyes taking time to adjust.

Umairi blinked a few times and looked around. The room was filled with about five people, all doing their own thing. "Move." Mato ordered with another shove.

Umairi walked forward and didn't bring much of his focus to the others. "Stop." Mato ordered while pulling Umairi back by the shoulder. Umairi glanced up and saw he was facing a door. Mato walked forward and knocked on the wooden door. "Come in." A voice responded.

Mato turned the door handle and it opened effortlessly. The room on the other side was revealed to be a planning room of some kind. A female was hunched over what looked to be pieces of papers. She had black hair which was tied up in a ponytail and a grey eye, her most profound feature being the white and grey eyepatch that covered her right eye. The woman looked up at the two people in the doorway. "Who's he, Mato?" She asked while setting down a piece of paper.

"I'll explain, now come on trash." Mato commanded while shoving Umairi into the room. She closed the door behind her and motioned for Umairi to sit at one of the two chairs in the room. Umairi did as she said and sat in the wooden chair which was placed across from the desk where the one eyed woman was at. Mato took a seat at the other chair and leaned forward angrily.

"So who's this?" One eye asked while leaning forward and resting her elbows on the table. "This little shithead caused me to lose Dravis!" Mato responded while glaring at Umairi. "Hey, you could've killed him." Umairi answered while holding up his hands. "I've done it before." Mato mumbled back.

"Wait, is this true?" One eye asked Mato while glaring at her. "oh shit…" Mato answered while slowly scooting back in the chair. "God damnit, Mato! You know our policy!" One eye yelled. Mato grinned innocently."In my defense, he tried to fight me." One eye sighed and looked at Umairi. "Can you please leave for a second?" Umairi nodded and quickly rose out of the chair and practically ran out of the room.

Umairi closed the door behind him and stood next to it, trying to ignore the looks of the people in the room. "Oi, who are you?" a voice asked, making Umairi jump. He looked at the source and spotted a teenager standing in front of him. "Uh...Umairi." Umair responded nervously. The teenager looked to be around 13 with long baggy hair which went down to his brown eyes. His armor was light, only leather, and he stood almost a head and a half shorter than Umairi.

"Cool, I'm Rino, but you can call me Rino." The young teen stated while pointing to himself.

Umairi didn't question the logic behind that, so he shrugged it off. Rino pointed to another person, an adult this time, with short black hair and a wide jaw who wore medium armor. "That's Six." The adult looked in their direction and nodded.

He pointed to the next person, a male with combed brown hair and brown eyes and light armor. "That's Dallin, he doesn't really know Japanese well." Rino stated while pointing to another person. This person was tallest among them, a head taller than Umairi. He had messy dirty blonde hair and brown eyes with a narrow jaw. He also wore medium armor. "That's Giraffe, you can call him Aff." Rino stated. Aff nodded and grinned at Umairi as he rested on the wall.

"And finally, that's Striker." Rino declared while pointing to a girl with short brown hair and brown eyes and light armor.

Umairi looked at her and she immediately looked away. "Don't worry about her, she's just really shy. It took her a month to just look at Larken." Rino answered Umairi before he even asked the question. "I'm guessing you've already met Ruse, Uma." Rino asked. Umairi nodded and looked around at the building he was in. The building looked to be a run down warehouse with old moldy boxes everywhere. The group of five people didn't really do much besides lying or sitting on the ground.

Umairi jumped when he heard the sound of a door opening. "Hey, you, come in." it was the one eyed person who was standing near the doorway. Umairi nodded and walked past Mato who was leaving, a depressed look on her face. Mato closed the door behind her when Umairi walked in.

One eye sighed and walked back over to her desk, leaning her rear end on the edge. "Okay...I want to know. Who are you?" one eyed asked while pinching the bridge of her nose. "Umairi." Our protagonist answered. "I have a question too, who are you?" Umairi asked after scraping the courage to do so.

One eye looked up and chuckled. "Name's Larken, I'm guessing you've already met Mato." Larken questioned. Umairi nodded for his response. "What do you guys do?" Umairi asked another question. Larken chuckled again and answered "Well… we're _Justice League_ , also known as a hero guild."

That kind of made sense. "How come I was brought here?" Umairi asked the next question on his mind. "You didn't have to come here. If anything, I'm grateful that you did what you did." Larken stated while crossing her arms. "Uh...you're welcome, I guess…" Umairi answered while rubbing the back of his head.

Larken looked Umairi directly in the eyes, which made him uncomfortable. "I have a proposition for you." Larken stated. Umairi raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by _proposition_?" Larken chuckled to herself. "How'd you like to join our guild and fight the worst of the worst, the criminals?"

Umairi thought for a second. "I'm sorry, but no." Larken looked shocked by his answer. "What do you mean?" She questioned, regaining her posture. "I mean, I'm a solo player." Umairi answered. Larken nodded. "I see. Well, that's your choice. The invitation will always be open." She opened her menu and sent Umairi a friends request, which he accepted. "I have to return to my friend who got left behind when Mato pulled me away."

Larken shrugged and blinked her left eye. 'It was nice meeting you, Umairi." Umairi nodded and bowed. "Same." He responded. Umairi straightened his back and left the room. Walking by everybody in the room, he nodded to them has he left. Ruse opened the door for Umairi.

Umairi walked into the morning sun and squinted a little bit. Now where was Silica?

(Line BREAK!)

 _Floor 11_

 _January 12th, 2023_

"Where were you, Onii-chan!" Silica cried angrily. "Sorry, I had some business." Umairi answered. Silica was to the point of balling. "I'm really sorry." Umairi stated. She nodded and turned around. "Let's go rest at the inn."

Now, that's something Umairi could agree on. "Agreed." Umairi responded while preparing to head back to the inn.

 **A/N And we are done. After much thought, I have decided to do longer and less updates rather than shorter and more. Mostly due to school about to start and family. Please follow and favorite this shit, and become a Desu today. *Theme song plays aka, the Akame Ga Kill theme***


	37. Chapter 37

**_Chapter 37- Martial Arts_**

 _Now, that's something Umairi could agree on. "Agreed." Umairi responded while preparing to head back to the inn._

(Mine Rake)

 _Floor 3_

 _January 13th, 2023_

"I'm sorry, Silica, but I really have to go." Umairi stated while sighing. "It's okay... I was just hoping I could stay a little longer..." Silica responded while crossing her arms and looking away. Umairi nodded and prepared to leave the town of _Wald._

 _"_ Goodbye, Silica." Umairi stated as he walked into the town's main gate, Silica standing at the entrance. Umairi ignored his surroundings while he walked. His goal was the town's _Teleportation_ _Gates._ After a couple of turns, Umairi spotted the crowded center which signified the Gate.

Without thinking, Umairi entered the Gate and yelled "Urbus!" The familiar feeling of changing floors kicked in and soon, the sight of the second floor town, _Urbus_ , appeared. Umairi stepped off the platform and walked a few meters away. When he was a safe distance away, Umairi opened his menu and clicked on the map. If the information Argo had given him was correct, the quest NPC should be somewhere on a high mountain in the southern region of the second floor.

Umairi nodded and closed his menu. He was going to finish this quest even if it took forever. Umairi navigated the streets and alleys of _Urbus_ , trying to find the exit. Once he was able to leave, Umairi walked down a southern road which, according to the map, led to the quest start.

After what felt like hours of walking, Umairi finally reached what looked to be the foot of a mountain. It was completely made of grey rock and extended past any other mountain or hill in the area. Umairi took a deep breathe and began the trek of scaling the mountain he named, "Mount Uma".

(Line Break of Climbing)

 _Floor 2_

 _January 13th, 2023_

Umairi let out a grunt as he pulled himself over a large rock and onto a landing. He laid on his back while quickly taking a moment to resting. The way up here did have paths but they were extremely steep and or narrow, sometimes both.

Umairi sat up with a sigh. Looking around, Umairi saw something quite interesting, a wooden shack.

It was a small little building, with one window next to door. It had to be around ten meters wide and three meters tall and was snuggled into a crack in the rocks. Umairi grunted as he pulled himself up, this had to be where the quest NPC was. Umairi walked forward and prepared to knock on the door, but hesitated. "What did this quest have in store?" Umairi thought, his hand still raised. Umairi shook his head and brought down his fist on the door three times before letting his hand drop to his side.

The door soon opened, at the entrance stood a short man, he looked to be one hundred and sixty centimeters tall. The old man had a grey goatee and was bald on the top of his head. The clothes he wore looked very much like monk clothing. Umairi had to look down at the short old man to speak to him.

"What." The old man spat out while glaring at Umairi. Even if he was such a small man, Umairi knew better than to stand up to him. "I have come to learn the Martial Arts skill." Umairi responded, trying to sound professional. The old man sternly nodded his head and closed the door with a slam. Umairi flinched at the sudden movement.

Umairi stood at the door, waiting for something to happen, but it didn't. Umairi, bored of waiting, raised a hand about to knock, before the door opened suddenly. The old man stood at the doorway again, this time holding a jar of something in his left hand. He motioned for Umairi to step aside with his free hand. Umairi did as he was told and let the old man pass.

The old man started to walk out into the afternoon sun and turned around. "What are you standing there for?" He questioned.

Umairi snapped out of his thought and responded "Oh, uh...sorry I didn't-" The old man raised his hand. "Quit your babbling. My names Mr. Miyagi, and if I have it correct, you want to learn Martial Arts?" The old man stated while holding his head up.

Umairi nodded for his response. Mr. Miyagi nodded. "Come here." He stated while motioning to the spot in front of him. Umairi did as he was told and walked to the old man. "Get on your knees." Mr. Miyagi ordered while opening the jar. Umairi got onto his knees, he was now slightly shorter than the older man.

Mr. Miyagi dipped his pointer and middle finger into the jar, and pulled them out. "Now, If you want to learn the ways of Martial Arts, I require one thing." He began while rubbing his fingers with the jar's contents on them on Umairi's face. "What?" Umairi asked. Mr. Miyagi brought his hand away and closed the jar. "You must break in half that rock only using your palms." He stated while pointing to a large round rock pushed to the side. It was about two meters high and one and a half meters long.

Umairi gulped. "You expect me to break that rock?" Mr. Miyagi nodded and responded "Take as long as you need." Before turning around and walking towards his door. "Hey wait." Umairi began "What did you put on my face?"

Mr. Miyagi stopped walking and turned his head in Umairi's direction. "That's for you to find out."

Before Umairi could say anything else, Mr. Miyagi walked into his house and slammed the door behind him. Umairi sighed and looked back at the rock. How was he supposed to destroy something that large with his bare _hands?_ Time to get to it...I guess... Umairi took a deep breathe and raised his fist. Pulling it back, Umairi swung with full force into the rock, doing nothing to it. If Umairi could feel pain, his hand would be broken right now.

Umairi decided to hit the rock with his palm instead. Flattening out his hand, Umairi did the same motion and smacked his opened hand into the rock, doing nothing again. This was going to take some time.

(Punching Rocks equals Line Break)

 _Floor 2_

 _January 14th, 2023_

Umairi awoke to the morning sun in his face. With a groan, Umairi moved onto his side and reached for his blanket, only, there was no blanket. Umairi opened an eye and saw he was lying in front of a wooden shack.

With a grunt, Umairi sat up and looked around, trying to remember how he got here. Blinking a few times, Umairi's memory finally returned. Umairi looked behind him and saw the rock, still in one piece. Letting out a sigh in anger, Umairi pulled himself up and positioned himself in front of the rock. Getting into a fighting stance, Umairi threw his hand into the rock again.

 _Later_

Umairi stood before the rock while on his knees. How long had he been doing this? The rock still showed no sign breaking. Umairi punched the ground in frustration. How had he been bested by a rock? Umairi clenched his jaw and got back up again, if he was going out, he wasn't going out without a fight. Getting back into a fighting stance, Umairi swung his hand into the rock, imagining it was his worst enemy.

(Line Break, Line Fix)

 _Floor 2_

 _January 15th, 2023_

Umairi wiped his eyes, he was not going to cry over something so small. It had been what felt like years of constant punching, over and over and over again. The sun had set long ago, now his only light was that provided by the stars and moon. Umairi was sitting with his back against the rock he was supposed to break, basking in the moon light. What if he gave up? There'd be no harm in that, right?

No! Umairi wouldn't give up! He was going to get stronger. If he got stronger, Umairi could survive this game for his family, for Yoko. For _himself_. This game had become his reality, what he used to know didn't apply here. Umairi had to treat this death game seriously, and that included not giving up.

Umairi used his right arm to wipe his eyes which started to tear up again. He would do this for everyone expecting him to live. Umairi pulled himself and turned to the rock. Umairi got into his fighting stance and punched the rock again. Between each punch Umairi said to no one. "I...Will...Fight!" Umairi continued his punching and talking until he felt his world go black.

(No Line Break)

 _Floor 2_

 _January 16th, 2023_

Umairi punched the rock weakly while trying his best to stay standing up. Since this was only a game, he could stay up for as long as he wanted, but his brain still needed sleep. Umairi shook his head and continued to punch rock. stifling a yawn, Umairi punched the rock with his left hand, then right, then left. The endless cycle continued for Umairi, to the point where any normal person would've gone insane. Lucky for Umairi though, he wasn't any normal person.

Umairi let his arms drop to his side. "Maybe a little power nap..." Umairi began before collapsing in what he thought was the morning sun, or afternoon sun.

Umairi laid before the rock, his eyes slowly closing on their own. "No..." Umairi stated weakly while attempting to get back up. Umairi shot his left hand out and used it to push him back up. He would not give up yet. Umairi weakly pulled himself up and looked at the rock. Getting back into his stance, Umairi punched the rock with all his might, then again with his left.

"Come on, me. Just one more punch!" Umairi thought to himself while bringing his right hand back. With all his anger behind this last punch, Umairi yelled in anger as he thrusted his hand into the rock for the final time. Nothing happened when his hand made contact. Umairi let it drop to his side and almost collapsed before...

 _Crack!_

The center of the rock broke in two has the halves split from each other. The middle where they used to connect now revealed the rock behind it. "Huh...Ha, Hahahah!" Umairi tiredly laughed to himself while he swayed on the spot.

A sound of a door opening, which was soon followed by footsteps spawned behind Umairi.

"Congratulations." A voice stated. Umairi turned around to see Mr. Miyagi standing from where the voice came from.

Before Umair could respond though, the weirdest thing happened, the ground came up to his head, which was soon followed by blackness.

 **A/N And we are done, son! After some time, I finally got my tablet back, with a wireless keyboard, so I thought "Eh, what's the difference with a PC and a tablet?"** **and wrote this. Took me about four hours, which is record time for something of this length. If I can keep this up, I might even be able to continue one chapter a day again! I also want to say, if you guys want to know what Yoko looks most like, look up Isla Plastic Memories, but with short hair. Haruto probably looks most like that fat guy from the first episode of the anime, Umairi is how ever you imagine him look like.**

 **Guest (ARandomGuy)- You already voted for shorter and more updates. You might even get your wish too.**

 **2000 words, mate. Get rekted. Well that's all for now. Like and favorite this shit and become a Desu today. *Theme song aka Surviving the Swordland begins***


	38. Chapter 38

_**Chapter 38- Wax on, Wax off**_

 _Before Umair could respond though, the weirdest thing happened, the ground came up to his head, which was soon followed by blackness_.

(LInE BrEaK)

 _Floor 2_

 _January 17th, 2023_

Umairi groaned. Where was he? Umairi felt the softness of a bed on his back which could mean he was back at an inn. Umairi opened his eyes and was greeted by a dim light coming from a candle. Has his eyes adjusted to the room, Umairi soon was able to figure out he was in some kind of building.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and rubbed his eyes. With a push, Umairi got of bed and looked at the room around him.

He seemed to have been lying on a futon with basic green sheets. There was one nightstand next to the futon, which held the candle Umairi had seen. Besides that, the room was plain with wooden walls and a dirt floor. Umairi looked at the door across from the futon and prepared to open, but he soon realized, he was naked.

Umairi let out a sigh in relief as he sat back down on the futon and opened his menu. Umairi quickly threw on some casual clothes, which was a green wool shirt and brown pants. Though before Umairi closed his menu, he remembered something. The _Martial Arts_ skill.

Umairi opened his skill tab and observed his his currently equipped skills.

 _One-handed: 468/1000_

 _Sprint: 250/100_

 _Battle Healing: 453/1000_

 _Heavy Metal Equipment: 349/1000_

 _Martial Arts: 1/1000_

Yep, there it was. Now the better question was, how do I use it? That also brought up the question, where was he now? Umairi looked at the door and hesitantly started to slide it opened, not knowing what he'd find on the other side.

"I see you're awake." a voice said. Umairi jumped about a meter into the air. Clutching his chest while breathing heavily, Umairi slid opened the door completely, which revealed Mr. Miyagi, who was sitting at a kotatsu. "Thanks for the heart attack, old man" Umairi grumbled. "You will call me sensei as of now." The old man stated while sipping a cup of tea.

Umairi moaned in annoyance at him. He looked around at the small room. In the middle stood a kotatsu, which was covered by a green blanket. At the back was a traditional wood burning stove and an array of bamboo cabinets.

"So..Uh Sensei, how do I-" Sensei raised his hand as he took another drink of his steaming tea. "Take a seat." He stated while setting the cup back down.

"Okay..." Umairi responded while walking to the other side of the kotatsu and sat on his legs. "Like I was saying-"

"Want some green tea?" Sensei asked, cutting of Umairi. "Yes, please." Umairi responded, trying not to get annoyed. Sensei grabbed another cup nearby and poured Umairi some into the cup. He extended it to Umairi, who accepted it with both hands.

"How do I-" Umairi began but was cut off again by Sensei as he drunk. He set the cup back down and answered "More drink, less talk." Umairi growled in annoyance, but accepted it. Umairi took a sip of the tea while he held the cup with both hands. It was alright.

"Are you hungry?" Sensei asked while taking another sip of his tea. Umairi nodded and responded. "Yes, I am." Sensei nodded and grabbed a piece of small cake that was at the side of the table, which Umairi had failed to notice was there. He handed the slice to Umairi, which he took with a "Thank you."

Umairi grabbed a western looking fork which sat nearby and slid it into the cake. He picked up the piece and ate. The cake was surprisingly better, but not as good as his mothers. Nothing was better than his mom's cooking. "Seems like you enjoyed the cake?" Sensei asked. Umairi nodded while taking another bite.

Umairi set down the fork and looked at Sensei. "Will you teach me-"

 _Slurp..._

"I said, will you-"

 _Slurp..._

"Teach me-"

 _Slurp..._

"How to use-"

 _Ahh..._

"The Martial Arts skill?" Umairi finally finished, annoyed. "Yes, but first, the house needs painting." Sensei stated while setting down his cup of tea. "What do you mean?" Umairi asked confused. "The floors needs sweeping." Sensei continued.

"But I just want to-" Umairi tried to say again. "And the floors waxed." Sensei finished. Umairi looked at the wooden floor in the room he was at and it seemed just fined.

Umairi's eyebrow twitched as he took a deep breathe and asked "And?..." Sensei slowly rose from underneath the kotatsu. "You're going to perform these chores first, then we'll talk." Umairi was at the point of slamming his fist into the kotatsu. Before Umairi could say anything else though, Sensei grabbed the food covered dishes. "The supplies is in back closet." He stated while grabbing Umairi's cup of tea.

Umairi closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Come on, the house won't paint itself." Sensei stated while setting the dirty dishes on top of the wooden stove. Umairi grumbled to himself as he pulled himself out from underneath the kotatsu.

Umairi sighed, if he wanted to learn how to use this skill, he had to do this. "Where do I start?" Umairi questioned. Sensei looked at Umairi and responded "The paints in the back closet." Umairi nodded and walked over to a door at the back left corner of the room.

(Line Break of Martial Arts)

 _Floor 2_

 _January 18th, 2023_

Umairi laid back on the ground and sighed in relief. After two days of working, he finally finished all the assigned chores, which was much more than he had expected. Sensei walked out of the house. "You did a good job." He stated while crossing his arms.

"Will you finally teach me how to use my new skill?" Umairi asked, restlessly. Sensei nodded one more time and turned around, preparing to enter his house. "Whoa whoa whoa, will you?" Umairi asked while pulling himself up. Sensei simply ignored him and continued walking.

"What the hell, are you!" Umairi asked angrily. Sensei continued walking. "I will admit, you were a huge help." Umairi clenched his hands into a fist. "I wasn't just help, I was busy being your slave!" Umairi yelled, his anger building.

"You did well." Sensei responded, ignoring Umairi's anger. "This wasn't part of the deal. You were supposed to teach and I was supposed to learn." Umairi reasoned.

"What deal." Sensei responded while opening his door. "What do you mean?! For two days, I've been busting my ass." Sensei grunted back. "Ahh, you've learned plenty." Umairi snorted in retort. "I learned plenty? I learned how to paint your house, wax your floor, dust your windows." Umairi yelled back as he followed Sensei into his house. "Not everything is as it seems." The old man responded while closing the door behind him.

"Ah, bull crap, I'm going home." Umairi yelled back while turning around and started to storm off. "Umairi... Umairi!" Sensei called while not turning around. Umairi was slightly surprised that a NPC knew his name, but didn't question it because stranger things _have_ happened to him. "What." He asked, annoyed and slightly surprised.

Umairi stood in front of Sensei as he turned around. "Show me sand the floor." He asked. Umairi nodded and prepared to get on his knees. "No. stand up." Sensei ordered. Umairi nodded and straightened his back. Umairi started doing the motions of sanding the floor with his hands, but the strangest thing happened, his hands started to glow. Umairi did the same thing he would've done with a sword skill and released it, feeling the familiar feeling of the system assist kick in.

His hand shot to the left, as if they were blocking something. "Now show me wax on, wax off." Sensei stated while not moving an inch. Umairi tried to do the same thing before by acting like he was waxing the floor, but nothing happened this time. "No, wax on, wax off! bah." Sensei stated annoyed. He grabbed Umairi's right hand and brought up with a lot of force. "Wax on." He did the same with Umairi's left hand."Wax off."

Sensei let go of Umairi's arms and pointed at him. "Concentrate. Look at me, not the hand. Thumb inside." Umairi nodded and did the motions again, but nothing happened. "Wax on. Wax off." Sensei stated while doing the motions, but this time his hands glowed and shot out, as if he was defending against a sideways attack.

Umairi took a deep breath and did the motions again, this time though, his hands started to glow and shot out with the system assist. "Good. Now show me paint the house." Sensei stated while nodding in approval. Umairi nodded and brought his right hand up as if he was painting a wall. Sensei grabbed Umairi's wrist and pulled it up and down while using his other hand to stop Umairi's.

"Good, now show me wax on, wax off." Sensei stated before, like a snake, shooting his hand back, which started to glow bright yellow. Sensei shot out his right hand, which Umairi did the wax on motion, which turned into a skill, and blocked it. Sensei did this again, with his left hand while yelling, each time Umairi blocked it.

Sensei nodded. "Show me paint the house." The old man shot out his hand, which Umairi parried by doing the up and down painting motion. Each time Sensei shot out with his hand, Umairi was able to block it. "Show me sand the floor." He stated before sending out a orange skill with his feet. Umairi immediately sent his hand down with a green skill and blocked the attack. "Good..." Sensei stated.

The old man stood in a battle stance and sent out a flurry of attacks, which Umairi blocked using his newly learned skills. Sensei stood straight again and signaled for Umairi to do the same. Umairi let his arms go to his side and sighed. "Come here." Sensei ordered while signaling Umairi to bend over slightly. Umairi did just that and listened carefully to what he was going to say. "Come back tommorow." Sensei ordered. Umairi nodded for his response. "Get a goodnights sleep, you'll need it." Sensei finished before rising to his full height and opening the door for Umairi to leave.

Umairi walked out of the door, which was closed behind him. Umairi sighed and started the long trek back to town, at four in the afternoon. This was going to be one hell of a tale. Though who would he tell it to? Umairi sighed as he started to go down the narrow path which overlooked the second floor. It was really a beautiful view.

He could see _Urbus_ and the other small towns of the floor. He also could see the field he, Haruto, and Yoko had fault the field boss in. Umairi was starting to find it hard to believe that was a litte over a month ago. The Field Boss Felt like it happened years ago.

This also brought up the question, what was Yoko doing now? Umairi shook his head and continued down the path, he would survive this Death Game, for her.

 **A/N That is what I call done, baby. Umairi learns Martial Arts, the Daniel way, and will be returning soon. Time skip next chapter just so you know. No new comments, or that I saw. By the way, don't worry about _Justice League,_ we'll be seeing more of the soon enough _._ Also, this is offically my most viewed story, surpassing my other which had 3,525. This one has 3,750. Yeah, gained over 1000 views in 8 chapters, sweet me. Please like and favorite this shit and become a Desu today. *Theme song plays aka The Halo Theme.***


	39. Chapter 39

_**Chapter 39- Hello...Uma**_

 **This is a treat before I finish writing the 4000 view special chapter, so sorry if it's short, but I don't want to leave you guys in the dark .**

 _This also brought up the question, what was Yoko doing now? Umairi shook his head and continued down the path, he would survive this Death Game, for her._

(I don't know what's next Line Break)

 _Floor 2_

 _February 4th, 2023_

"Am I right?" The man asked while standing at the front of the bar. A couple of people started to chuckle. Umairi smiled to himself, this was man was an okay comedian.

Umairi sipped his cup of tea while sitting in the booth, as time flown by this fast? Umairi glanced down at his hand. "Was this reality truly fake?" He thought while letting his arm go limp. The time of swords as come for Umairi.

"Okay, calm it down people, I got one. What do you call someone who can't fight?" The man asked. "An Umaidi!" He stated right before cracking up at his own joke. Umairi glared at the man, he had combed brown hair and clean shaven face. The small group of people soon started to laugh as well. Umairi sighed and sunk deeper into his seat. He really wished people would just forget that stupid duel.

A plan soon formed into Umairi's head. "What do you called a failed comedian? You." Umairi stated while drinking some more of his tea, his eyebrow twitching. "Oh, and who are we now?" The man asked snarkily. "I'm that "Umaidi" you just mentioned." Umairi responded angrily. He was not going to willingly become a laughing stock.

"Wait, you're Umaidi?" The man asked surprised while pointing a finger at him. "Yes, and it's pronounced Umairi." Umairi answered while squaring his shoulders and leaning forward in his chair. He had to deal with this bull when he was younger, Umairi could never stand it. That's what made him into who he is now, with the urge to help others. The "comedian" or whatever you want to call him turned back to the audience, an awkward silence following. Umairi took one more drink of his tea before getting up and leaving.

He couldn't explain it, but he felt, somehow, empty. Was he missing something important? It was as if a void inside of his chest just formed. Umairi released a sigh as he walked down the vacant road in _Urbus_. Not a single soul could be seen, and Umairi didn't mind.

 _Ping_

Umairi looked up at the noise and saw he got a message, from who? The teen tapped the yellow message notification.

 _Yokoen_

 _Umairi, I've been kidnapped by mysterious people. They told me to message you or they'll kill me. Uma, you don't have to save me. I'm on the first floor, outside of the dungeon._

Umairi read the message, then reread it. He felt like panicking, but something told him that Yoko wouldn't die just yet. Umairi took a deep breath and closed the message, he would save Yoko. Umairi started to sprint to the _Urbus Teleportation Gates._ Once there, he only saw a few people. Umairi ran into the gate and shouted "Town of Beginnings!" He felt the familiar feeling of changing floors and soon saw the crowded view of the first floor.

So many people had just taken refuge in the large town when the game started, but not Umairi. Opening his menu then clicking on the map, Umairi quickly marked himself a path to the dungeon of the first floor.

Umairi sprinted through the alleyways of the town, dodging people and obstacles as he ran. He would save Yoko. Turning right down a street, Umairi spotted the towns exit and sprinted towards it. This feeling in Umairi's chest was started to make itself more prominent, as if Yoko has something to do with it.  
Umairi ran pass the exit and saw the safe zone marker leave his HUD. Umairi relaxed his hands and pushed himself to go faster than he ever had. "I'm coming Yoko."

(( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Line ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Break( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°))

 _Floor 1_

 _February 4th, 2023_

 _Yoko_

"Stop moving so much." One of the captors ordered. Yoko looked at him with her death stare, making him back away slightly. The guy was only about sixteen, with short, light brown, hair and brown eyes. He was way too young to be a murderer, or criminal on that note. Raising his sword slightly higher, the sixteen year old prodded Yoko's back with his sword. Yoko slowly turned around and glared at him, making him become nervous again.

"Gunter, stop messing with her." The leader ordered while turning around from where he stood, keeping a look out for Uma. Yoko glared at the back of the man's head, he was the same guy who was chasing Keiko all those days ago. Yoko would personally kill him herself. "See, girly, I told you I would get revenge. When your little friend gets here, I'll kill him, and maybe, let you go." The leader chuckled to himself while keeping look out.

The only reason why Haruto and others weren't here, was because Yoko was also forced to message them saying she was fine. If only she could warn Umairi of the six people waiting to ambush him. "Here he comes." The leader stated while grabbing his mace. " I see you've arrived, _Uma_." The leader stated while chuckling.

Uma stopped in front of the leader, about five meters away. "Hello there. Did you come back for another ass whooping?" Uma responded while pulling out his one-handed sword from his side. Yoko gulped, you got this Uma.

 **A/N Sorry for the late upload and short chapter, I'm planning and writing the 4000 view special for chapter 40. That's right, I hit 4000 views! WHOO HOO! This is just a filler chapter till then so sorry. Please like and favorite this shit, become a Desu today *theme song plays aka Swordland***

 **sperokuro- Thanks for the review, man! I know, I still kind of have trouble with As and Has. I've been trying to fix it.**


	40. Chapter 40

_**Chapter 40- Reunion of Many Emotions**_

 **A/N Sorry for late upload, school just started for me.**

 _"Hello there. Did you come back for another ass whooping?" Uma responded while pulling out his one-handed sword from his side. Yoko gulped, you got this Uma._

(Line Break of 60,000 words)

 _Floor 2_

 _February 4th, 2023_

Umairi mentally yelled, how was he supposed to free Yoko. "I told you I'd get my revenge." The familiar man smile evilly. Umairi didn't want to believe what he said was true, but it apparently was.

"Ha! You really think you can beat me?" Umairi questioned trying to sound cocky. Getting into a fighting stance, Umairi raised his sword at the enemy. The man smirked and lowered his mace. "No, I don't. But we do." The man stated. Before Umairi could ask what he meant, about six people came out of hiding, all armed and hostile.

Oh crap. Not only did Umairi have to fight him, but also six other people! Umairi gulped and raised his sword even higher, pointing at the enemy leader. "Before I kill you though, I want to tell you my name. Diablo." The now dubbed Diablo told Umairi. "Interesting name." Umairi answered.

"Yes, it is. Diablo is spanish for devil." Diablo chuckled while raising his mace. "Kill him." The six goons of Diablo charged forward while charging sword skills. Umairi stepped back into a stance and put his sword over his shoulder. Charging a _Vertical_ skill, Umairi ran forward towards the enemy.

Releasing the blade, the sword charged downwards while being guided by the system assist. The sword connected with one of the goons collar, and before they could react, Umairi brought his sword back and charged a _Vertical Arc._

The same thing happened with this skill, it cut into another goon, dropping his health. Umairi jumped back away as the enemy players attempted to regain order. This was Umairi's chance.

"HAHAHAHA!" Umairi started to cackle as loud as he could. Diablo and his goons all looked at Umairi like he was crazy. "That's so cute, you actually think you're an threat." Umairi laughed out.

One of the goons backed away and asked Diablo "Uh...Boss. Do you think we should be going against this guy?"

As Umairi continued to cackle, Diablo answered "Please, he's now just a blubbering fool grasping at straws." Diablo answered while pushing the goon back towards Umairi. "Ooh, another one of your famous theories." Umairi delightfully stated. "Tell you what, let's make things a little more fair. How 'bout I give you the second shot, see how that goes."

"Uh...boss." the goon began. "Enough! Just kill him already, there's six of you!" Diablo ordered.

The goons charged their sword skills and charged again, this time though, Umairi going on the defensive. Trying his absolute best too, Umairi parried every single one of their attacks. Trying his best to stay calm and focus, Umairi successfully pushed them back without taking a hit. How he pulled that off, he has no idea.

The six goons backed away, thinking that Umairi was unbeatable, though in reality, if they continued that, Umairi would certainly had died. "Man, you guys are out of shape. Outta do some cardio" Umairi playfully stated while standing at his full height again. How long would he be able to keep of this charade?

"What are you idiots doing! Just finish him!" Diablo yelled angrily. The goon called back defensively "How is he still standing, we threw everything we have at him!"

Umairi found his chance to throw the blade into the crack of the armor. "How? Well it's quite simple really. You see, Diablo, you may think you have me all figured out, but there's one thing you didn't account for. My numbers, are bigger than yours!" Umairi stated while looking at each of the goons. "Funny thing really, if you get to a high enough level, you're basically invincible when fighting against people like you. We could do this all day, and you wouldn't be any closer to beating me."

It was true as of now, Umairi was grabbing at straws. What he just said was only half true, while he was a higher level than the goons, he could've lost any second after they quit. Time to drop bomb. "But, I've got good news. You see, there's no need to wonder where your god is, cause he's right here! And he's fresh out of mercy."

The goons were speechless, one of them even dropped his sword. "Wha-" Diablo began. "Now, Diablo, I'm going to ask you to release my friend over there." Umairi ordered while still grinning like he was insane and started to walk forward. "If you attempt to hurt me, I still have my-" Diablo began before realizing that his goons were running away.

Now alone, against someone a higher level than him, Diablo started to back away, Gunter appearing next to him. "Where's the girl, Gunter." Diablo asked while his mace back out. "She's right-" Gunter began before the tip of sword appeared coming out of his chest. "Uh.."

Gunter exploded into a shower of blue particles, revealing the killer. "Haruto?!" Umairi asked shocked.

Haruto brought his sword up and released a two-handed skill on Diablo which he barely blocked. Umairi looked at Haruto, he was _different_. Another figure shot by and side kicked Diablo throwing him to the ground. "Keiko! You too!" Umairi asked surprised to see them. Haruto ignored Umairi and brought his two-handed sword up again before releasing it on the downed Diablo.

He was going to kill him. "Haruto! You don't have too-!" Umairi began too late. A shower of blue spread out around Haruto and Keiko. Umairi was speechless. Haruto relaxed and walked over to Yoko. He got down on his knees and hugged her. Keiko stood where she was, staring at the spot Diablo had been in. Umairi sighed and walked over next to her. "Hey Keiko…" Umairi greeted while looking at the same spot she was.

Umairi quickly glanced at her and saw she was crying. "Keiko?..." She wiped her eyes and turned to face Umairi. The two stood looking at each other, neither saying or doing anything. "Uma…" She began before wrapping Umairi in a large hug. "Please come back!" She cried as she hugged him. "I will." Umair answered while patting the back of her head. She refused to let go of him and continued to cry. Things were happening to fast and time was going to slow. After some prompting, Keiko let go of him and went back to staring at where Diablo used to be. Umairi walked over to Yoko who was sitting on the ground looking at the sky and keeping a neutral face. Umairi sat next to her and looked at her face. "Yoko, I'm sorry." Umairi told the albino girl. "I-"

"Do you love me?" Yoko asked. Umairi was taken aback by the question. "What do you-" Yoko turned her head and looked Umairi straight in the eyes. "Do you love me?" She asked again. Umairi took a deep breath and responded. "Yes."

(Line Break of Something)

 _Floor 2_

 _February 5th, 2023_

Umairi walked silently down the bustling road of _Urbus._ Haruto and Keiko followed behind him while Yoko grabbed onto Umairi's arm. After what happened at the dungeon entrance, an atmosphere that shouldn't have been there surrounded the group, one of awkwardness.

Umairi spotted their designation, the _Teleportation Gates._ The group was planning on heading back to the frontlines. Would he want to stay with the main group? Only time would tell.

 **A/N My god, after a full week, this is all I can scrape up? I'm extremely sorry guys, school just started and I have little to no time to write with football and all that. I only get about 4 hours a day to write which is pushing it for me. Now that the first week is over, I can try and get back onto my regular schedule. About that 4000 view chapter, sorry I won't be able to pull it off with my current schedule. Please follow and favorite this shit, and become a Desu today *theme song plays aka Don't stop me now by Queen***

 **A/N Sup guys! It's been about 5 days since I uploaded this chapter, sorry but I didn't have time to proof read. I'm doing that now! I haven't even gotten started on chapter 41. As I said, football started and school and all that. Don't worry, it should be out by Saturday. But hey, 60 words! Longest story ever! I have an idea which I got from a good story called Healing Crystals. I will be changing it up though.**


	41. Chapter 41

_**Chapter 41- Despair**_

 **A/N I'm using a different writing style for this chapter.**

 _Would he want to stay with the main group? Only time would tell._

 _(Line Break with Italic!)_

 _Narita, Chiba Prefecture, Japan_

 _February 6th, 2023_

I sighed as I stared at the body before me. My son, my oldest son, here he was laying on a hospital bed, practically skin and bones. I wiped my eyes as I looked at his peaceful face, his hair covering most of his eyes. Why had I let him buy that blasted machine!

Everyday of my life now was driving to work at this hospital, checking on him, and not knowing if he would die. I felt a hand place itself on my shoulder and I look up to see who it is. "Hey Mio, come on, your shift is almost over." My fellow nurse and friend states. I wipe my eyes one more time and rise from the soft chair that stood next to my son.

"Yeah, I'm coming." I reply while turning away from his sleeping body.

As I leave the room and gently close the door behind me, I have one thought on my mind. "Fight, Iriamu, fight."

(Line Break of Real Life)

 _Narita, Chiba Prefecture, Japan_

 _February 6th, 2023_

"Hey, Mio, you seem out of it. Is everything alright?" My friend asks me while sitting at the corner of the coffee shop. "Yeah, Yoshika, I'm just thinking about-" I started to choke up before I answered with my son's name.

Yoshika smiles, even though sadness is obvious in her eyes. "Hey, it's okay. He'll survive. From what I've heard and seen of him, he's too stubborn to die, like someone else I know." I start to chuckle half-heartedly. "Hey, Mio, how's Aaron taking this?" Yoshika asked while sipping her coffee.

She was obviously talking about my husband. "He's fine, though I can tell he misses him." I respond while sipping my green tea. "I guess those years in the Navy really toughened him up." Yoshika answered with that light joke. I chuckled in return and we soon drank in silence. "Well, I better be heading home before Yuta gets angry that I was gone for too long." Yoshika states while setting her cup down. "Tell Aaron I said hi." She finishes while rising out of the booth, turning, and leaving.

Not even bothering to offer to pay the bill. That's the same Yoshika, but was I the same Mio Yūsutasu? Brushing my hair out of my eyes, I try not to cry.

(Line Break of Realization)

 _Narita, Chiba Prefecture, Japan_

 _February 8th, 2023_

I gripped onto my son's frail hand while sitting next to him. Everyday was the same with him, steady heart beat, not a single movement. Besides the occasional increase in pulse, I could only hope for the best.

Treating him as if he was glass, I carefully brushed the exposed part of his cheek.

 _Beep, beep, beep beep beep_

The heart monitor began to wail as my son's pulse increased. In a panic, I brought my hand back to my side, but soon realized it was only a natural reaction to a stimuli in that stupid virtual world. Calming myself down, I rose with pose from where I sat next to him. Brushing off my scrubs, I try my best to stifle the tears as I left the room containing my son.

(Line Break of Sword Art Online)

 _Floor 25_

 _February 8th, 2023_

 _"_ Oi! Uma!" Keiko yelled while puffing up her cheeks in anger. Raising his hands defensively, Umairi took on the Neil DeGrasse Tyson face. "Hey, I thought you were keeping pace." Umairi responded while leaning back slightly. Keiko became even angrier. "I'm sorry I got distracted by a clothing shop."

"Oh yeah, sorry, forgot you were a girl." Umairi answered before realizing what he just said. "What was that?" Keiko asked, her body becoming, for some reason, larger and her eyes turning a shade of red, she seemed to shadowing Umairi. "Nothing." Umairi replied, hoping she would ignore his voice crack.

As if she was a switch, Keiko turned back Into her smiling self. "Good." She happily continued down the bustling street of the new floor's main town, _Banona_. Haruto had sent him a message to bring Keiko along to the town square here so we could explore this new floor.

Umairi followed Keiko as she turned a corner, revealing the town square and Haruto and Yoko. "Hi!" Keiko called cheerfully while waving her hand high in the air. Could she be any girlier? Umairi smiled to himself as he walked forward town greet his old friends and companions.

"How's it going, Haruto." Umairi asked nonchalantly as he walked up to them. Haruto's face became serious and he turned to face Umairi. "Hello, Umairi-san, I am Haruzilla. How are you." He questioned while bowing. Umairi raised an eyebrow and took a step back. "Hahahaha!" Haruto soon burst out laughing. Umairi started to get really confused.

"It's fine, Uma, I was just messing with you." Haruto answered Umairi's mental question. Umairi sighed and put on a neutral face. "I was actually messing with you by making you think you were messing with me." Umairi answered while sounding monotone. Now Haruto was confused.

Umairi grinned again and crouched slightly "Got you back!" Haruto scratched his head in confusion. "But that wasn't even..."

Umairi returned to his casual expression and began "So where are we going to start?" Haruto quickly regained himself and answered "We'll be starting at the northern gate." Umairi shrugged and let his mind wonder while Haruto went into detail with the others. _Man, I can't believe Haruto is the leader again. Well I guess that happens..._

"Is that agreeable?" Haruto asked the group, which responded with a storm of the word yes. Haruto nodded sternly and finished with "We leave in five." Before walking away. _Haruto's matured so much since I last saw him. I guess me leaving had some good affects._ Umairi cleared his mind and soon followed in suite. Time was sure an Interesting mistress.

 **A/N Thanks for reading guys! I had some free time today so I thought I might write a quick chapter for you. Football season is beginning and I got running back, just like I wanted. Well, please follow and favorite this shit and become a Desu today. *Theme music plays, aka A-team Theme***


	42. Chapter 42

_**Chapter 42- A Glitch In The Matrix**_

 _Haruto's matured so much since I last saw him. I guess me leaving had some good effects. Umairi cleared his mind and soon followed in suite. Time was sure an Interesting mistress_.

( 1v1 me, Line Break, m8)

 _Floor 25_

 _February 8th, 2023_

Umairi strode down the forest path, Haruto and the gang in tow. Floor Twenty-five was surprisingly tough, to the point where he'd almost been killed. Twice. Besides these minor inconveniences and the warnings of Yoko to go back, Umairi pushed onward undaunted.

The twenty-fifth floor was similar to other floors in the aspect that it was forested, but the enemies were tougher, much, much, tougher. Umairi stretched his back and looked around. The tree's weren't very thick so you could easily the upper floor's lower half. The shrubs near the ground weren't very bad, thick enough to provide animals cover, but thin enough to go through. "Nothing like the smell of green." He stated nonchalantly.

Nobody answered him, so Umairi didn't attempt to continue in conversation. It was better to stay on guard rather than have idle chit chat. The road they were following was mostly in good shape. It was obviously dirt, with a couple of weeds sprouting along the sides. In the two or so hours they have been walking, they had only spotted one branch of the main road, which they were on now.

Umairi stretched his back and put his hands behind his head while leaning back casually and continued walking. "Hey Haruto," Umairi asked "Is it true this floor has a lot of traps?" Haruto didn't answer for a few seconds. "I've heard rumors. Do you know anything 'bout them, Yoko?"

Our protagonist turned around to look at Yoko and hear her answer. She shook her head no. Umairi shrugged and turned back around on the road. "I've heard a few people talking about it on our way out." Keiko quickly chipped in. "Did you hear what kind they were?" Umairi asked wanting to learn more. "No, all they said was they lost a member of their guild." Keiko finished and went back to walking. Umairi hummed for a few seconds then shrugged, they were probably fine.

Umairi looked ahead and spotted a tangent in the road. Excited, he pointed it out to Haruto who agreed to investigate. Turning right on the smaller path, Umairi saw that the new road curved to the left. Eager to explore this new area, Umairi jogged forward.

Ahead of the main group, Umairi slowed to a walk and continued down the path. "Hey, Uma! Are you alright!" Haruto called about five meters away. "Yeah!" Umairi called back while cupping his hands around his mouth. "Is Yoko with you!" He cried. "She shouldn't-" Umairi turned around and was surprised to see her behind him. "Yeah, she is!"

"Good!" Haruto finished. Umairi continued to walk backwards while looking at the shorter girl. "So, Yoko." Umairi began.

"Uma, thanks for coming back." Yoko cut off Umairi while keeping a straight face. "Yeah, just so you know, I didn't forget I cho-AHH!" Umairi tried to speak again, before he felt the ground leave his feet. He hated that feeling of falling, especially from heights, which was his worst fear.

Yoko ran forward and attempted to grab Umairi, which she did grab his collar, but only ended up being pulled into the hole as well.

Falling for only about six meters, Umairi hit the ground, hard, with his back. Yoko soon landed on top of Umairi, knocking the air out of him.

"Yoko are you all right?" Umairi gasped out while attempting to get out from underneath her. But that's when Umairi realized something worse, there was no light. He opened his menu, which only lit the area a quarter of a meter around him.

Squinting his eyes, Umairi soon realized the full situation.

When they had fallen into the hole, a rock had fallen in as well, and Yoko just barely caught it. Umairi looked at the girl who probably just saved his life and saw she was shaking from having to support the large rock on her back.

Laying there, Yoko on top of him hold a giant rock with only her back, hands, and knees, Umairi needed to find a way out, now.

(LINE BREAK)

 _Floor 25_

 _February 8th, 2023_

 _1 hour later_

"U-Uma, I'm getting a list of errors on my screen." Yoko stated tiredly and worriedly. "What kind?" Umairi asked as well, trying to not let worry fill his voice.

She read off the list while trying to stay calm. "Taste, shutting down, sight, shutting down." Yoko began as she read all the errors. The last one was particularly bad. "Pain dampeners overloaded, shut down in five." Umairi soon grasped. He knew what that meant for Yoko.

Yoko soon realized too. "Oh god, Yoko I'm extremely sorry for getting you in this situation." Umairi stated, he was really sorry. "Uma...I'll probably black out." Yoko answered, knowing she would hate what came next. The girl soon started counting down "3,2,1."

She let out a yell pain, Yoko attempted to stay up but soon collapsed onto Umairi's chest. "Yoko, Yoko!" Umairi cried out while trying to hold the rock up now, but he couldn't get his arms around her body. Glancing at her health bar and his, he saw that Haruto's and Keiko's were gone, but even worse, Yoko's health was entering the red and his just started to go down.

Umairi tried not to cry, he wasn't going out like this! He couldn't. If he gave up, his death would be meaningless. Umairi chuckled half-heartedly to himself. _Never thought I'd go out by being crushed by a rock._

Then things became even stranger, a green light filled the little undercover they were in. Umairi's screen soon started to become overfilled with static, his health bar soon faded away. The same errors list filled Umairi's HUD in red letters.

 _Taste - shutdown_

 _Sound - shutdown_

 _Hearing - shutdown_

 _Vision - shutdown_

 _Touch - shutdown_

As each one of these things scrolled across the center of his HUD, Umairi soon felt himself lose the green light, and the sound of his voice. The last one was particularly worse, worse than pain dampeners going off.

 _NerveGear Connection Shutting off in 5_

 _4_

 _3_

 _2_

 _1_

Umairi closed his phantom eyes and waited to see what happened. Soon, everything became static then turned to black.

(Liие Ьгеак)

 _Floor 1_

 _February 8th_

Umairi groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. Blinking a few times he saw that a crowd of people had formed around him. "Wha..." His voice seemed, _different_ , to him. Umairi didnt reconize any of the faces. The crowd soon parted and a heavily armored man appeared over him. The man looked to be about thirty and had a thick brown beard, coupled with short combed brown hair. His eyes were a soft brown and he had a wide jaw.

He bent down and extended hand. "Are you alright there, miss?" Umairi reached out with his left hand to take it, but something clicked that seemed off. "Miss?" He questioned. There it was again his voice sounded weird.

That's when he saw his arm. It was thin, pale, and seemed very fragile. Nothing like his normal arm. Hesitantly, Umairi glanced down, and instead of seeing his usual armor, he saw two mounds on his chest. Something soft fell down onto his forehead and Umairi went to grab, it was a strand of white hair. Gulping, Umairi felt all over his face, he didn't have his triangle nose, or his eyebrows. His fsce was masculine, but soft and feminine. Umairi nervously glanced around, but couldn't find who he was looking for.

That's when he realized, where was Yoko? Wait...he _was_ Yoko! Umairi started to panic and let out a not really manly scream. The man instinctively lurched back surprised. Umairi wrapped his arms around himself and rolled into the fetal position. How, out of everything that has and will happen to him, does somehow becoming Yoko scare him the most. _I've freaking killed people and wasn't as disturbed as this._ _Wait, maybe I still had my special area._

Shooting his hands nervously between his legs, they was something missing there. Took a deep breath and calmed down. Opening his mouth, Umairi needed to say this one word. "Fu-."

 **AN Finally! I've been wanting to use that post twist since chapter 10! My god... 42 chapters...Sorry for the late upload, I didn't get to time to proofread this chapter. I also wish I could've made it longer. I have good news at least. Chapter 1 as officially reached 1000 views! Well, guys, please follow and favorite this shit and become a Desu today. *Theme music plays, aka Something Really Original***


	43. Chapter 43

_**Chapter 43- To Think with a Thinker**_

 **A/N 5,000 views already, jesus.**

 _Opening his mouth, Umairi needed to say this one word. "Fu_

(All around me are Line Breaks)

 _Floor 1_

 _February 8th, 2023_

Umairi leaned back casually, hopefully giving off the feeling he was fine, but secretly, he was panicking. What was happening, was this becoming some sort of trap anime!? Was him switching avatars some sort of glitch? Freaking Kayaba!

"And you believe that's what happened?" The leader of the guild leaned forward at his big desk. The man that had been interrogated Umairi, happened to be the leader of the guild known as _Aincrad Liberation Force._ Umairi glanced warily at the man, he had wavy umber-brown hair and brown eyes. Besides his position of power, the man gave off a very gentle aroma.

Realizing he was making Umairi uncomfortable, the man straightened his back. "I don't think we've had the pleasure of meeting. My name is Thinker and I am the new leader of the guild, _Aincrad Liberation Force_ , and the old leader of _MMO Today._

Umairi was slightly confused. "Wait, you actually believe me?" Thinker grinned slightly and responded "I see no reason for you to make up such a tale." Umairi was slightly relieved that Thinker believed his crazy story. "It also makes sense with floor twenty-five being extremely difficult and the large amounts of traps. That's actually how this new guild was created."

Umairi raised an eyebrow, or Yoko's character's eyebrow. This was getting confusing. "What do you mean?" Thinker leaned back slightly and sighed. "A man known as Kibaou, almost had his entire guild wiped out from the twenty-fifth floor, so he came down here and after some planning, my old guild, _MMO Today_ melded with his."  
Umairi nodded and unconsciously started to bounce his foot.

The two sat in silence, waiting to see if the other would talk. "Have you happened to see someone telling the same tale?" Umairi asked, hoping to find Yoko. Thinker shook his head no. "Oh..." Umairi sighed, disappointed. _Wait, the Position Check!_ Umairi hurriedly opened his menu and tapped on the friends tab.

He was surprised to see quite a few people. Umairi scrolled down to the Us and found his name. Tapping it, he clicked the _Position Check_ option and a map appeared. _Floor One, Town of Beginnings. So she was here._

"Well, it was nice meeting you Thinker, but I really must be going." Thinker smiled slightly and responded "Same." Umairi shot up and glanced at the map one more time. _Okay, so she's at the Teleportation Gates._ Turning around, Umairi closed his menu and walked out of the office like thing.

(Line Break of Author is Lazy)

 _Floor 1_

 _February 8th, 2023_

Umairi left the _Black Iron Palace,_ which is where the _Aincrad Liberation Force_ was located. Quickly jogging along the crowded streets of the first floor, Umairi made his way to the _Gates_. Turning into the crowded area, Umairi saw nothing new. He opened his menu again and checked the _Position Check_. _It says she should be here..._ Umairi glanced down and saw the blip right on top of his position. He turned around and jumped slightly when he saw a familiar, yet alien face.

"Uma..." His body said, this was getting weird. "Yoko, is that you?" Umairi's head, or should he say Yoko's, nodded. Her face appeared to be very nervous and stressed. "Uma, why do you look like me?" Yoko asked confused. _Jeez, I sound like a huge nerd._ "I don't know either, Yoko, come on, I know somewhere we can go for the time being." Umairi stated while grabbing his own hand. _This sucks, I'm no longer taller than most people._

He pulled his body along as he made his way back to _The Black Palace._ "Hey Uma, have you messaged Haruto and Keiko yet?" Yoko asked. Umairi slowed his pace and cringed. _Crap!_ Quickly opening his menu, Umairi tapped on Haruto's name and tapped send message.

 _ERROR: MESSAGING ABILITIES REVOKED_

Umairi raised an eyebrow, what does it mean by that? He clicked on his own name and tapped send message, the same error appeared. That's when a yellow message bubble appeared. Umairi glanced at Yoko and saw she had received one as well. Yoko glanced at Umairi, which Umairi nodded saying she could click it. Umairi did the same.

 _Hello Player, I feel obligated to give_

 _you an explanation for what happened._

 _Approximately at 9:34 AM, 8 February, 2023,_

 _You and a fellow player merged_

 _into each other, corrupting each_

 _others data and almost killing both of you,_

 _in real life and in game due to NerveGear_

 _Disconnection. Cardinal took quick action_

 _and pulled both players out of the game_

 _and quickly reestablished the NerveGear's Connection._

 _While all it was able to fix was your player appearances,_

 _I had to manually come in and retype all your data._

 _Has of this point, I was only able to return your_

 _stats and inventory to its normal form. Some of the functions_

 _disabled are as followed, messaging, sword skills, quest_

 _activation and completion, and the buying or_

 _selling of objects. While I am working around_

 _the clock to restore your characters, they won't_

 _be completely usable for about another day._

 _I am sorry for this inconvenience and hope_

 _it doesn't hinder your playing experience_

 _for too long. Good luck and my apologies,_

 _-Kayaba Akihiko_

Umairi stared dumbfoundedly at the message. So it was just some sort of mix up that made them switch avatars? So all he had to do was contact Kayaba and tell him of the glitch. 'Yoko," Umairi began "I think I know how we can get back into our own bodies."

Yoko tilted her slightly. "How?" She questioned. "First, we need to meet back up with Thinker."

(Line Break Desu!)

 _Floor 1_

 _February 8th, 2023_

"You need to what?!" Thinker asked shocked. Umairi nodded. "If we can get in touch with Kayaba, we can tell him of this glitch." Thinker ran his fingers through his hair. "I don't know if I can help you with that." Umairi knew this was going to be tough, they couldn't just run into the street and yell for Kayaba to come out.

"It's fine, we'll try to acomplish this ourselves." Umairi confidently assured. Thinker sighed and responded "We can give you supplies, that's about it." Umairi smiled and replied unnerved "Thank you very much. We appreciate it."

Umairi looked at his body, which he knew housed Yoko. "Are you ready for this?" He questioned. She nodded. Umairi looked back at Thinker. "We must go now, wish us luck." He nodded. "I will." Umairi got up and sighed, this wasn't the first time something strange had happened to him. This would make one interesting story when he had kids.

 **A/N I AM SO SORRY! I've been having trouble writing with school and stuff, sorry guys! I will get started on the next chapter soon! I have good news though, Shield and Sword as reached 5,000 views! WOOHOO! I am so proud and grateful! Thank you all who have been reading since the beginning of this train wreck of a story! Well, please follow and favorite this shit, and become a Desu today *Theme song plays aka Team America theme! 'Murica! Fuck Yeah!***


	44. Chapter 44

_**Chapter 44- This Feels Like Déjà Vu**_

 _This would make one interesting story when he had kids_.

 **(Line Break in Bold)**

Floor 1

 _February 8th, 2023_

This was going to be harder than he thought. He went to look at Yoko, but saw himself again. _Jeez, I'm actually not as good looking as I thought. I don't see what Yoko and Keiko see in me. Well, I am kind of handsome... in my own weird way._ As Umairi pondered his gorgeousness, Yoko became uncomfortable at seeing her own body looking at her.

"Hey, Uma, can you stop staring at me like that?" She asked, her, or in this case, Umairi's voice sounded nervous.

"Yeah, sure." Umairi turned away from himself and looked down the at the main center of the _Town of Beginnings_. "Hey Yoko," Umairi began "Don't you ever feel like there is always a struggle for power among the major guilds in SAO, kinda like a Game of Thrones." Umairi had no idea why he was becoming so philosophical, but hey, stranger things have happened.

Yoko sighed and in Umairi's manly voice responded "Can you please stop doing that, we have a mission to complete." Umairi turned around slightly and leaned his head back. "Getting fiesty I see, before you know it, you'll be leading in bed." Yoko's, or Umairi's body's, cheeks lit up slightly red. Umairi held in the urge to giggle like a girl and turned back to the main street. _Man, why am I in such a good mood?_

"Alright Yoko, where do you think we should start?" Umairi questioned while continuing to observe the large square. She didn't respond, which he took as a she didn't know. "How about we return to the front lines?" Umairi pondered. _Maybe we could find something of use with the frontliners._ Yoko still didn't respond so Umairi took it as a yes. Carefully planning the journey in his head, Umairi took his time to form it. About ten minutes later, Umairi started his march. "Hey Yoko, are you coming?" Umairi turned around to look at his body, but didn't see it there.

"Uhh...Yoko...Crap!"

Umairi worriedly opened his menu and clicked on his name, then pressed the _Position Check._ Nothing showed up. _When was the last time I saw her? About ten minutes ago, what was she doing? Oh yeah, she was waiting for me to formulate a plan._ Umairi started to pace the area he was standing at. _Oh god, how did I lose Yoko!_ Umairi needed a lead.

The nervous Umairi walked up to one of bystanders in the main square.

The person was only a teenager with wavy brown hair and stood almost a head taller than Umairi. "Oi, have you seen a man about your height with the brown hair and brown eyes. He was wearing grey armor." The teen turned around to face him, which his face turned slightly red. "What? Is there something on my face?" Umairi questioned. "Oh, no, nothing..." He continued to stare at Umairi, which he didn't like. "If you have something to say about me, just say it!" Umairi ordered, annoyed.

The teen put his right hand behind his head and chuckled nervously. "It's just that, you're pretty and stuff..." _And so it begins._ "I'm a dude." Umairi stated bluntly. _Oh god, don't tell me this is going to be a problem._ Umairi sighed and put his hand to his face in a light facepalm. "Can you tell me if you did?" The teen hummed and soon answered "I need a more accurate description, almost everyone here can match that."

Umairi blanked out for a second. "..." The teen raised an eyebrow. "Are you okay?" He questioned. "... YOU GOTTA! AHHH!" Umairi squatted slightly and clenched his fist. "If you want, I can help you look." Umairi took a deep breath and responded "No, I'm good. I just..." Umairi was soon pulled from his thoughts by a blinking yellow spot. _A message?_

He clicked it and the message popped.

 _Hello Yoko, my client holds a despise for_

 _your friend, Umairi. He will only release him_

 _if you bring us 500,000 Col. If the terms are not_

 _met, we will kill Umairi. Bring the money to the entrance_

 _for the dungeon on the 25th floor._

Umairi read the message... "YOU GOT TO BE!" _Not another freaking hostage situation!_ "Is everything alright?" The teen asked. Umairi took a deep breath and regained his posture. "Not really. If I remember correctly, you said you were willing to help me?" The teen dawned a nervous expression "Yes..." Umairi grinned evilly as the plan formed in his head "Good..."

(Evil Line Break)

 _Floor 25_

 _February 8th, 2023_

"So you got the plan down?" Umairi finished contently. The teen, who he soon learned was named F1lthyFr3sh , or Fresh, nodded. Umairi was a little nervous, he had never fought in anybody's body besides his own. Though, he had watched Yoko fight before, so he had a good understanding.

Walking down the same road he had been when he switched avatars with Yoko, Umairi didn't say a single word. He needed one hundred percent concentration. Umairi turned down the path to the entrance of the dungeon. It reminded him of every other entrance on the floors before.

"Took you long enough." Umairi viewed the sight before him. "Uhh... Hi Mato." Umairi greeted. The person before was Mato, the same girl who was a part of that guild, _Justice League. What was she doing here?_ "It's been awhile." Umairi continued.

Mato raised an eyebrow at him. "Have we met?" Umairi chuckled lightly. "It's a long story."

Umairi looked behind her and saw his body standing there undamaged. Umairi walked past Mato and up to Yoko. "So Yoko, you have some explaining to do." Fresh came up behind Umairi and echoed him.

(Line Break of JUSTICE!)

 _Floor 11_

 _February 8th, 2023_

 _Justice League Headquarters_

"So thank you, I think." Umairi stated. Larken nodded and responded "Thankfully Mato was out and about and caught drift of the situation." Umairi looked at the one-eyed leader and grinned slightly. "If you're so willing to help people so much, I have a proposition for you." Umairi's plan to get back his body was officially formed.

(What happened with League Line Break)

 _Floor 25_

 _February 8th, 2023_

 _Mato_

Mato sighed as she sat at the bar table. Being a hero and all that was a pain. She drank down her cup with ease and set it down. She had a job to do anyways. Mato pushed herself up and stretched her back. Walking out of the shop, she took off in a slight jog. If her information was correct, Bloo, or "The Boss", should be here any minute.

Mato slid to a stop in front of a vendor and watched her side while pretending to observe the vendor's wares. As she hid, a group of people turned around a corner and onto the street. They looked just like any average players, besides the fact they were sticking so close together and the uniform walk they had.

 _That's my guy._ In the center stood who she supposed was the boss. He was an old man, with grey streaks of color running along his brown hair. He had signs of age forming around his eyes and cheeks. Mato used all her effort to act natural and wait for them to pass.

"Did you hear, Boss was actually able to capture Umaidi." One of the guards spoke just loud enough for Mato to hear as they passed. "Yeah, the message as already been sent. I can't wait till I get paid." The other goon responded before leaving Mato's earshot. _Umaidi? That name sounds familiar..._

Mato pushed those thoughts out of her head and slotting in behind her target. Following from a safe distance, she couldn't stop thinking about how this was too easy. _Wouldn't Boss be taking more precautions? Hey, at least I can this over with faster._

Mato trailed her target until they reached the end of the city. _This is where it gets hard._ Mato crouched down low and hoped none of the guards had a high seeking skill. Staying around ten meters away, Mato cautiously followed behind Boss. After what felt like hours of tracking, Mato finally reached the targets final designation. It looked to be the entrance to the 25th floor's dungeon.

Mato closed in onto the sight until she was about five meters away. _Wait...is that...Umairi? So that's what the guards meant by Umaidi!_ Mato became really interested now. Boss stepped forward. Umairi's face was neutral, he seemed more calm than usual. Mato listened closely.

"So Umairi, I finally found you." Boss gleefully stated. Umairi still showed no emotion. "I've already messaged that girlfriend of yours, she should be here with my money soon." Umairi blinked and asked "Where's Haruto?" Boss chuckled slightly "We never had him, we knew you'd take the bait if we told you we had him hostage."

Umairi's face flared up before returning to neutral. _I think it's about time I step in._ Mato snuck forward before standing to her full height. "Hey B0ss." Boss's attention was taken away from Umairi and he focused on Mato. "Who are you?!" One of the guards took a step forward and leaned slightly to say something. "Hey Boss, that's a member of a hero group called _Justice League._ She's the one who almost took down Dravis." the goon stepped back.

"Let me guess, you're here to bring me down?" Boss questioned. Mato grinned, "Exactly." Boss sighed and raised his right hand. "Go get her."

The guards widened their stances and prepared their weapons, Mato doing the same with her one-handed sword. _This will be a piece of cake._ She pulled back the blade and soon the familiar feeling of the system assist. The blade shot up in a yellow, pulling her along. The sword shot into the air. _Sonic Leap, my favorite skill_. She smirked as the sword soon fired into the ground on one of the guards, practically killing him.

Mato jumped back and brought her sword back for a _Vertical Arc_. Her sword shot down in the V pattern, effectively killing another goon. _Crap, Larken's going to be mad that I'm killing. Ah, who has to know._ One of the guards released a cry in anger brought down his sword in a _Vertical_. She easily side stepped the attack and shot her sword in with a thrust, bringing his HP down significantly.

She took another step back and swung down on one of the guards trying to attack her, almost killing him too. Now that she had been able to bring all the guards out, Mato soon found to be facing five men, well four not including the dead. She swung her sword to the left. _Three_. Mato slashed her sword down with a _Slant. Two._ The final two guards stepped back nervously, each of them looking at Mato with fear. One dropped his mace and shield, then proceeded to run away. The last guard, finding himself outmatched, followed the others example and ran.

Boss, realizing it was all over, gulped and raised both hands. "P-Please don't kill me!" He pleaded. Mato grinned. "I have no plan too." She pulled out a teleportation crystal. "But you can have fun in jail." She finished off while teleporting the man to the _Black Iron Palace_ jail.

Mato smiled broadly while patting herself on the back. _Job well done. Now, all I have to do is wait for that Yoko._ Mato turned around to soon see a white haired girl run into the area, a brown haired teen in tow. "Took you long enough." She stated as if she had been waiting a long time.

 **A/N I finished a chapter on my deadline...good. I would've finished this earlier but I was showing signs of a heart attack so I had to go to the doctors so on so forth. Thankfully, it wasn't that. I told you I'd find a way to get** _ **Justice League**_ **back into the story! I also attempted to make this one much longer, you're welcome. Nothing new besides that, please follow and favorite this shit, become a Desu today *Theme song plays aka The Russian Nation Anthem, cause Stronk Soviet Symphony***

 **ARandomGuy- Thanks for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying the story! Sorry if I don't respend to your reviews in the next chapter, bad memory on my part. You should make an account so you can follow and favorite this story.**


	45. Chapter 45

_**Chapter 45- Planning Again**_

 **Well...I just hit 6000 views. That was fast. Sorry for late upload, life happened.**

 _Took you long enough." She stated as if she had been waiting a long time_ **.**

 **(** El Line Breako)

 _Floor 25_

 _February 8th, 2023_

"Are you sure?" Umairi asked. Fresh sighed and put his hand to against the back of his head. "Yeah, my guild needs me." Umairi shrugged and waved his hand like a stereotypical tsundere to show it was no big deal.

"That's fine with me." Umairi finished. He turned around to return to the _Justice League's_ base, though something told him Fresh would be seen a lot more than just once in Umairi's story.

(Foreshadowing Line Break)

 _February 9th, 2023_

 _Floor 11_

 _Justice League Headquarters_

Umairi sat across from Larkan while holding his, or technically Yoko's, chin. "Do you think we can help from any other guilds?" Umairi tossed out the idea while readjusting himself in Larken's office. She shook her head no and responded "I can't think of any guilds willing to stop their duties to help you besides us, and that's since it's our job."

Umairi sighed and nodded his head in response. "What we really need are some powerful players." Larkan tagged on to her last statement. "Yeah, Yoko and I can go up to the frontlines and go around asking, I do have friends in high places." Larkan smirked to herself.

"You do have a point. Well, what are you waiting for? Go." Umairi was thrown off slightly. "Wait, now?" He asked startled. Larken grinned satanically while pulling out her sword. "Point taken." Umairi jogged out of her office while pulling Yoko by the hand, who was standing next to the door, away.

(Ur Mums a Line Break)

 _February 9th, 2023_

 _Floor 25_

"Oh, uh...and who are you exactly?" Kirito smiled nervously. Umairi felt hurt. "How do you not remember me!" he yelled. Kirito chuckled and put his hand to the back of his head. "My memory seems to be failing."

Umairi sighed and mentally banged his head on the ground. "The first floor boss, I talked to you about stuff while you were walking up the stairs."

Kirito chuckled again. "I remember that, but I'm pretty sure you were bigger, and manlier." Umairi sighed and pointed to Yoko. "We switched avatars, it's a long story. Basically, we need help." Kirito raised an eyebrow "With what?" Umairi grinned. "Finding Kayaba."

(Line BreaC)

 _February 9th, 2023_

 _Floor 11_

Umairi laid on the floor of Larken's office, tears in his eyes. "He denied." Umairi sniffled." Larken sat her desk and sighed. "It's fine, you don't need to cry over it." Larken casually stated. "But he forgot about me!" Umairi cried back. "How is that possible, I'm hard to forget!" Larken sighed and responded. "You're hard to forget, Yoko isn't."

Umairi mumbled to himself while sitting up.

"Any backup plans?" Larken questioned. "Yes, but it's a long shot." Umairi dawned another grin "We need to get into the Knights of Blood Oath." Larken didn't answer and looked at Umairi like he was crazy. "And how do you propose we do that?" Umairi shrugged. "We'll wing it."

Larken sighed and stood from her desk. "So what you're saying is that you're going to get into one of the highest level guilds, without a plan, and thinking they have a solution to your problem?" Umairi nodded happily. "After all, they were just formed and are probably still looking for members." Umairi finished

Larken stopped and looked at Umairi. "That's a fair point actually. Though what are we going to do after we get into the guild?" Umairi gave Larken a knowing look. "Easy, do what we did to switch in the first place. Break the game."

Larken raised an eyebrow at Umairi. "This isn't something you can casually do." Umairi nodded. "I know, but I'm going to be there so it'll probably work, I mean, I break a lot of things, if you catch my drift." Umairi repeatedly raised and lowered his eyebrows to emphasize the That's What She Said moment. "Oh my god..." Larken groaned getting the reference. "Please don't do that again. I can't take all of that stuff." Umairi grinned cynically "That's what she said."

"Leave, leave now!" Larken ordered angrily. Umairi scrambled to his feet and ran out of the office while chuckling to himself.

(LBIRNEEAK)

 _February 10th, 2023_

 _Floor 25_

Umairi stood back as the large circle of people talked solemnly. The Boss Room had been found, and with the abnormal difficulty of the floor, not many were pleased to have to face the boss. The crowded inn was packed with armorer figures ranging from a vast scale of colors, the most prominent being the red and white of the Knights of Blood Oath.

Umairi, using the small size of Yoko's body, slipped in between the gaps of the larger men, trying his best to get near the new guild. Umairi saw a small opening, which revealed the main body of the guild. He shot forward in an attempt to get through, but instead smashed head first into a someone larger than him.

"Ow!" Umairi yelped with Yoko's high pitched voice while putting a hand to his forehead. The man turned around and looked down on Yoko. "Oh, hey...um...what ever your name is." The man, or teen, stated. Umairi looked up angrily to see Fresh. Umairi raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know you were part of one of the clearing guilds?" Umairi stated while he pushed himself up. "Likewise." Fresh responded.

Umairi craned his neck past Fresh and was relieved to see the Knights of Blood oath still there. "So, I..uh...gotta go." Umairi said while trying to push his way past Fresh. Fresh, realizing what Umairi was doing, stepped out of his way. Umairi nodded in thanks and walked into a small opening in the group, the same opening where the guild was at.

 _Let's do this._ Umairi stepped forward to the largest man in the group, who stood, at least, two and a half heads taller than him. The large man turned around to face Umairi, which almost made Umairi sink just by his gaze.

The man had long, thin grey hair which was tied back. His face was thin yet he had a thick jaw line and medium size nose. He wore red armor, which was accented by white streaks. At his side was a large one handed sword and in the other was a giant one hand shield. Judging by his appearance, he looked to be in his late forties and early fifties. "How may I help you, my fair lady?" The man bowed slightly. _Flattery isn't going to work on me._

Umairi held his chest high and his head higher. "I've heard that your guild was recently formed and I would humbly request to join." The man grinned slightly. "You got lucky then, if it was anyone else besides me, you'd probably been rejected. I have a knack for finding people with potential such as yours."

 _That was easy._ "Wait, that's all I had to do?" Umairi asked, puzzled. The man shrugged. "Not really, I was actually planning on inviting you soon anyways. Yoko." Umairi blanked out for a second. "Have we met?" The large man chuckled and shook his head. "Not personally."

Umairi became slightly nervous and angry. _Who is this man? How does he know Yoko's name?_

"I don't believe I've had the honor of telling you _my_ name, I am Heathcliff, the founder and leader of The Knights of Blood Oath." _Heath...cliff. I've never heard that name before._ Umairi stood there, dumbfounded.

"Is everything alright?" Heathcliff questioned. Umairi nodded. "Yeah, so..um.. what do I do next?" Heathcliff grinned again. "First we fight the boss."

 **A/N The next chapter is done!** _ **Even if it's kinda late,**_ **but who's to know! I would've finished this earlier but I got my new computer in and had to go through all that trouble. I also am deleting the old chapter one so you should've read it if you missed it. So, there are probably comments I need to respond to but...yeah. Please follow and favorite this shit, become a Desu today. *Theme song plays aka Sacred Icon Suite II from Halo Legends***

 **Edit: Sorry if I didn't proof read when this chapter was first released, didn't have time too.**


	46. Chapter 46

_**Chapter 46- Boss Fighting**_

 _"Yeah, so..um.. what do I do next?" Heathcliff grinned again. "First we fight the boss."_

(Line Breek)

 _Floor 25_

 _February 8th, 2023_

Umairi marched nervously with the other front liners. The walk to the dungeon had been one of quiet and tension. Some tempers even flared in the uncomfortable march. Umairi walked stiffly behind the main group of The Knights of Blood Oath. _I still don't understand how I got in so easily?_ Umairi thought. _Maybe there's some kind of catch, or drawback. And who is this Heathcliff?_ Umairi externally sighed. Too much was going on for him to keep up with.

"Is everything alright?" Umairi jumped at the voice, but soon found it to be Fresh. He had walked ahead of his main guild to catch up with Umairi. "Yeah, I'm just overwhelmed. So much is going on and so little is being done about it."

Fresh just shrugged has he walked. "I don't know about you, but I don't see why people are so nervous about this boss." Fresh said while stretching his arms. "We've beaten so many other bosses together before, why is this any different?" Umairi thought out his answer and responded "I think it's more of fearing extra difficulty on something not meant to be that hard." Fresh shrugged, showing he agreed with the answer. "Well, I gotta go back to my guild. Good luck man." Fresh stopped his pace and he soon fell out of Umairi's view. _I like Fresh, he seem's like a nice guy._

"Five Minutes!" Umairi brought his attention back to his walk. _I think that means we're almost there._ Umairi soon started to double check his gear, he was all set. A blinking light soon brought Umairi's attention away from his gear. _A message?_ Umairi clicked the message, it was from Larken.

 _Uma, I just got in contact with Keiko and Haruto._

 _They both had been attempting to find you and Yoko_

 _for quite some time. They also asked why you didn't_

message them. I haven't told them where you're at,

 _but they won't stop threatening to find you by themselves._

 _What do you want me to tell them? Hurry and respond._

Umairi read the message, once, then twice, then a third time. _My messaging is back up?!_ How had he forgotten to check!? Umairi quickly opened up the respond button and typed back his answer.

 _I can't believe I forgot to message them!_

 _Tell them I'm very sorry for not messaging_

 _them earlier. Also tell them I am busy and_

 _won't be back for a while. Just try and keep_

 _them calm, I'll be back soon._

Umairi hit send and released a sigh in frustration. He did not need this kind of drama before a boss fight. Larken soon respond, but Umairi didn't bother to check it and closed his menu. The boss fight would happen soon anyways.

The whole group soon started to slow as they turned into the clearing, the massive doors of the dungeon looming over the clearing. Umairi gulped nervously, something felt off to him. Umairi tried to shake away the uneasiness he was feeling, but it kept lingering, refusing to either budge or leave. _Why does this feel...off?_ Umairi knew he wasn't alone with this feeling with the fact that many others around him were fidgeting awkwardly. One of the main leaders of this fight stepped forward and turned so he could address the main party.

"People." He cried. "I know we may have mixed feelings about this upcoming fight, and that's okay." Umairi redistributed his weight from one foot to another. "If we follow the plan set and stay calm and _believe_ , we should come out unscathed. Now, my friend here will tell you any extra information you need to know." He stepped back and the large figure of Heathcliff took his place.

"Does everyone remember the plan?" Heathcliff questioned to the whole group. A synchronized wave of nods flew over the large group. "Good, now, if anyone doesn't have a party, the party I'm in has a free space." _That's me._ Umairi started to make his way back to Heathcliff. "Now, good luck, guys." Heathcliff stood back and turned to face the dungeon.

Umairi stood next to the man and coughed. Heathcliff brought his attention to the shorter person. "Yes Yoko?" He asked. Umairi looked up at the man, trying his best to seem like his equal. "I don't have a party I can join." Heathcliff grinned and opened his menu. A few seconds later, a message popped up in front of Umairi, it was a party invite from Heathcliff.

Umairi casually tapped yes and he saw a few more names appear in the top left corner of his vision. Seeing no reason to memorize them, Umairi nodded his head in thanks and started his march into the dungeon. Everyone behind him soon followed. Umairi was already used to Yoko's body, but he'd never fought in it. Umairi closed his eyes and took deep breath. Umair tried his best to suppress the butterflies in his stomach, but they kept getting worse and worse.

"Yoko." Umairi was brought out of his nervous train of thought to Heathcliff. "How are you feeling? You don't seem well." Umairi shook his head and answered while still facing forward. "It's nothing, I'm just a little off right now." Heathcliff shrugged and said a couple words under his breath. "Cardinal...Look at…" was all Umairi could pick up. He shook it off and sighed again. _Let's do this._

(Temporary Line Break)

 _February 8th, 2023_

 _Floor 25_

Heathcliff stood at the entrance of the main boss room, his back facing everybody. Umairi readjusted his weight and straightened his back, he was ready. Heathcliff turned to face the group, his face calm.

"I am going to be completely honest, some of you may not survive this, the only way you can is if you fight with your best. While I'm not the greatest at giving speeches, I am great at giving you my blessing." Heathcliff closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "We did lose a few good men along the way, but their sacrifice will be for us. Let's not let it be in vain." He turned around and placed a hand on the boss door. The door swung open effortlessly, revealing the dark room inside.

Umairi unsheathed Yoko's sword and looked down at it. It was the same one she had gotten all those months ago on the first floor. With its golden cross guard and leather handle, the blade caught the light and reflect it beautifully, the actual blade itself was just as beautiful and awed Umairi at how such a fine sword it was.

The shuffling of feet brought Umairi out of his trance, he looked up to see they were entering into the boss room. Umairi gulped and soon followed, Yoko's gorgeous sword at the ready.

As Umairi entered, he immediately felt the heat leave his body, something didn't feel right. "Stay in formation." Somebody whispered up ahead as they crept forward. With a slam, the boss door slammed behind him, this was it, it was actually happening.

Suddenly, the entire boss room lit up, temporary blinding Umairi and the rest of the raid group. Stunned, Umairi pushed back, but only successfully pushing someone over. "Yoko!" Umairis's vision cleared to reveal Heathcliff standing over him. His hand was extended to him and his large sword by his side. Umairi craned his neck and caught his view of the boss.

The boss was a giant, literally, a huge abomination. His face was twisted, but times two. Umairi looked at the letters above his head, _The Two-Headed Giant,_ with six health bars under it _._

Umairi took Heathcliff's hand and was swiftly pulled up. "I'll go forward and take the brunt of the attack, use your speed and shoot in when he's busy with me." Before Umairi could say anything, Heathcliff was already closing in on the boss. _But I've never fought in Yoko's body!_

Umairi nervously followed in Heathcliff's steps, the feeling of butterflies at it's worse in Umairi's stomach. _Why does this feel off?_ Umairi shook his head slightly and started to go at a full blown sprint. The bosses back was to Umairi as he closed in, the boss looked to be fighting off other parties.

The giant roared in anger and raised the giant club he had been wielding and brought it down like a golf club. The club impacted on something and Umairi barely side stepped the limp body of a player as it flew past him. _He can do that! What the-!_ Umairi cleared his head and tried to stay calm. He jumped and brought back his sword in a _Sonic Leap_. Umairi was surprised how nimble Yoko's body was, but he still had to be careful.

Releasing the skill, Umairi soon shot down onto the giants back, the sword piercing the area where the neck and back met. The giant let out a roar in response and attempted to grab Umairi with his left hand. Seeing the move, Umairi pulled out the sword and dropped down its back, releasing as many sword skills he knew Yoko had along the way. Once on the ground Umairi sprinted off, dodging the giants club as he swung it over to hit Umairi by a centimeter.

Umairi kept running until he knew he was safe and turned. The giant's health was only down a quarter on the first bar. Umairi internally cursed and sprinted back at the giant. Once near, he jumped into the air, still surprised on how light Yoko's body was. Right before Umairi reached his apogee, he charged the _Sonic Leap_ again, the feeling of Yoko's sword being charged with energy filling his hand.

Umairi let the energy out while throwing his physical, or virtual, strength behind it. Something didn't feel right this time though. As Umairi neared the giant, one of the heads turned in his direction and made eye contact with him. With a roar of anger, the giant raised the arm on the opposite side of it's head and swung it around in a wide arc. Umairi glanced to his left and tried his best to dodge the club, though it was only a futile effort.

The giant club contacted with Umairi's left side, launching across the room. _Oh god._ Once Umairi stopped sliding away from the boss, about twenty meters away, he looked at his health. Though a better thing to say is what health? Umairi looked at the numbers, only ten HP left. _I've brushed death so many times by this point, I think Death has a spot just waiting for me._ Anxiously reaching into one of the pockets on Yoko's body, he pulled out a health potion and downed it hurriedly, wanting to get back in the fight. Once up, Umairi charged in, this time going for the legs instead of the heads. Pulling back his sword, Umairi ran full sprint by the giant's legs, releasing a _Vertical Arc._ After Umairi knew he was safe, he ran back and released a _Horizontal_ into the legs before sprinting away again. Stopping a good feet away, Umairi just remembered about Heathcliff. Nervously glancing around, Umairi soon spotted him practically holding off the entire giant by himself while covering a downed comrade. Umairi wish he could do all those fancy maneuvers Yoko could do, but sadly, he couldn't with his skill.

Has he ran, Umairi glanced up to see that they had only brought down the giants health by one and a half bars, and that wasn't with just Umairi but the entire group attacking it. The giant swung its club down, which Umairi took the time to attack while it was unprepared. He jumped while he ran at Yoko's max speed, getting ready to shoot over the giants arm. He pulled back his sword and charged an _Uppercut_ skill. Right as Umairi shot over the arm, he released the skill, the blade contacting with the arm, and slowing Umairi down by flinging him to the floor.

Since he was unprepared for the fact the he would be flung into the ground, his knees buckled when they contacting the ground. The boss roared in anger and pulled back its injured hand. Umairi tried to stand but found himself shaking, his mind was really confused. He had just broken his legs, while at the same time not. A shadow soon appeared over him, protecting Umairi from any more strikes by the boss. Looking up, Umairi saw it was Heathcliff and his guild members forming a wall of shields in front of Umairi.

Heathcliff turned around and knelt. "Are you okay Yoko?" He questioned calmly. Umairi nodded his head while grabbing his sword and started to pull himself up. That landing had disoriented Umairi, and with the sound of steel clashing, made it hard for him to focus. Once he was back at his full height, Umairi looked at Heathcliff and nodded. "What's the plan?" He asked his everything started to fit in place.

Heathcliff shook his head and answered "You've done more than enough. Stay back and only come in if I call for you." Umairi was about to protest, but was cut off by Heathcliff raising his hand. Nodding in anger, Umairi crossed his arms. "Fine." He said angrily.

Heathcliff nodded and turned his back so he could join the battle again. Umairi kept his sword at the ready and observed the battle. Heathcliff and the other heavies pushed forward while the lighter people shot in behind them and attacked the boss. This method of boss fighting was more crude than the usual way, but they had lost most of their spear men on the way to the actual battle. As Umairi watched, he noticed something. As the bosses health dropped, he became more and more defensive. At this point he only had two bars left.

Forming a plan, Umairi picked up his sword and prepared to sprint in. _If I sprint in and attack his legs, it'll help whittle down his health._ Thinking the plan was foolproof, Umairi sprinted in past the heavies, ignoring their surprise. "Yoko!" Umairi heard a familiar voice cry but he ignored it and continued in.

Pulling back his sword, Umairi charged in, flying past the other speed builds. Throwing his sword in an arc while jumping, Umairi contacted the soft area behind the knee, causing the giant to cry in anger. With a loud thud it collapsed on that knee and tried to use its arm to keep it steady. _A critical!_

The other speed builds soon dived in on the downed boss, inflicting severe damage. Umairi shot in while the other speed builds shot out. _One health bar._ Umairi shot in as fast as he could and released another flurry of attacks into the base of the neck. With one more jump, Umairi pulled back his sword and charged a _Rage Spike_. As he flew up, Umairi released the skill and felt the system assist kick in as he shot down, the blade penetrated the one of the giants head, finishing off the what was left of the last health bar.

With a shake, the giant boss exploded in a shower of blue, sending out a shock wave in every direction. As Umairi landed with his two feet, he stood back to his full height, his sword at his side. Turning to look at the main group, Umairi saw all of them were speechless. Soon, someone started to applause, until the entire boss room was filled with whoops and cheers as everyone surged around Umairi, the _Congratulations!_ floating over his head. As everyone celebrated their victory, Umairi saw a menu open up in front of him.

 _The Giant's Bane._ Umairi clicked the item and saw it was a sword. Clicking equip, he stuck out his hand and the sword appeared with a haze of blue. Once the sword was where everyone could see it, silence dawned. The sword blade was a gleaming black, reflecting and absorbing all light it picked up. The crossguard was just the same, but was outlined by silver markings. The handle itself was black and had leather wrapped around the hilt.

Has Umairi admired the blade, he soon saw a shadow over him. Looking up, Umairi saw Heathcliff, and he didn't look very happy. "May we talk Yoko?" He asked, anger seeping from every orifice in his body. "Yeah, sure." Umairi responded trying to seem calm. Heathcliff turned and the main group parted, allowing for Umairi and Heathcliff to leave.

Once they were roughly ten meters away, Heathcliff looked down on Umairi, Umairi trying to not show expression. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why did you not listen? I asked you to do one thing." Umairi opened his mouth to respond, but Heathcliff kept talking. "Now I can't finish the quest. I need to talk to Cardinal." Umairi tried to say something, but was having trouble getting through to Heathcliff.

"I really didn't…" But Heathcliff kept mumbling to himself. Heathcliff, realizing Umairi was still there, looked at him and said "I need that sword, Yoko, now." Why?" Umairi asked puzzled. "I'm not even Yoko anyways." Heathcliff stopped talking and raised an eyebrow. "Elaborate." Umairi sighed and told Heathcliff everything, like how He and Yoko had switched bodies and his plan to switch back.

Heathcliff no longer seemed angry, but more thoughtful. "Hmm...And you're certain you're Umairi and not Yoko?" He asked. Umairi nodded. "Heathcliff quickly glanced around before bending in close to Umairi. "Meet me tomorrow at the Teleportation Gates in the Town of Beginnings." Umairi became confused. "Why? Heathcliff." Heathcliff's face was practically in front of Umairi's when he answered. "Not Heathcliff, but Kayaba. Can I trust you with this information? If not, I will have to kill you and whoever you told who I truly am."

Umairi gulped, but kept a level head. Heathcliff kept whispering. "I am really sorry, I didn't realize what I did. Make sure you bring Yoko when you come to meet me." Umairi nodded slowly. Heathcliff soon stood back to his full height and turned to walk back to guilds. Umairi was left speechless while he held onto his new sword.

(Line Break of Suspense)

 _February 8th, 2023_

 _Floor 11_

Umairi stood at the entrance to _Justice League Headquarters._ Taking a deep breath, he knocked and did all the secret password entrances. _They should change that, it's annoying._

Once the door swung open, Umairi was greeted by the sight of Keiko and Haruto nervously pacing. When they realized he was here, the first thing to leave Keiko's mouth was "Idiot!" Umairi sighed and looked down. Time to prepare for a scolding.

 **A/N Wait...I actually released a story on time? Noice. But anyways guys, this is now my longest chapter yet, I spent all week working on it so APPRECIATE ME! Also, I'm nearing 7000 views. That's cool. Anyway guys, please follow and favorite this shit, become a Desu today. *Theme song plays aka Finale from Halo Legends… again***


	47. Halloween Special

_**Chapter 47- Halloween Special**_

 **A/N Hello Readers! If you haven't already guessed, I am BannaMan-Desu! I come with an important message. We have officially reached 7000 views. That is good, and since Halloween is coming up, might as well celebrate both! While this chapter may end up being rushed, I hope you all enjoy it anyways. Enjoy the chapter! Also, remember, Iriamu is Umairi**

 **NOTE: THIS CHAPTER IS NOT CANON TO THE MAIN PLOT LINE OF SHIELD AND SWORD**

 _Umairi sighed and looked down. Time to prepare for a scolding._

(Happy Halloween Line Break)

 _Tokyo, Japan_

 _October 31st, 2025_

"Oi! Uma!" Iriamu looked around and to his pleasure, spotted Yoko standing at the corner of the street, her left hand extended high above her head. With a smile, Iriamu walked over to her position and greeted her. "Morning." He stated casually.

Yoko grinned and respond "Mornin'." For some reason, she had a stupidly big grin on her face, making her seem all the cuter. Iriamu glanced at her clothing and found she was wearing a white jacket and a light blue skirt. Looking down, he saw all he was wearing was some simple blue jeans a camouflage jacket. She looked much more expensive then him.

Yoko seemed annoyed by his lack of talking, so she let a puff and crossed her arms. "Yeah, just ignore me." Iriamu smiled and shook his head. "No no no, it's like that. I'm just admiring you." Yoko scoffed playfully and soon grabbed his hand as she started to walk down the bustling street.

As they walked, Iriamu looked down at Yoko's legs and saw that she walked a little awkwardly. "So Yoko, how are those new legs working out for you?" She stopped for a brief second and extended her left leg. "It's nice to be able to walk again, though these need some getting used too." Iriamu grinned and continued down the bustling street.

"Aren't you glad your grandmother let you come with me to Tokyo?" Iriamu brought up. Yoko nodded and answered happily "Yep, though it was a bit extreme to make sure we didn't sleep in the same building." Iriamu chuckled and continued down the crowded street.

"So Yoko, where are we going?" Umairi questioned. This time Yoko giggled and didn't respond but kept pulling Irimau along. _Yoko seems strange. I wonder what it is making her like this._

After making a few more turns, Iriamu soon found himself facing a dead end alley way. "Hey Yoko…" But when Iriamu looked around Yoko wasn't there.

Nervously, Iriamu cupped his hands around his mouth and called "Yoko!" Turning around, Iriamu spotted two figures, one looked to be slightly fatter and shorter than the other. Iriamu stepped back instinctively while looking around for some sort of weapon or means of escape.

As the two figures stepped closer, he saw they were both wearing hoods and had their hands in the pocket.

Realizing he was physically bigger than the two antagonist, he extended his back and let his shoulder sag to seem like a larger target. The two hesitated then, with a nervous laugh, they through back their hoods, to reveal. "Haruto?! Keiko?!"

Soon Haruto and Keiko started to break out laughing. "Got you!" Iriamu soon joined, laughing half-heartedly. Behind him, Iriamu heard a strange sound coming from behind him. Turning around, he saw Yoko, her figure bent over slightly as she gasped for air.

Iriamu almost burst out laughing himself just from Yoko's laugh. Suppressing the urge too though, he sighed and straightened his back, turning his attention to his two friends. "So Haruto, Keiko, I didn't expect to see you here." He said, a grin on his face. _It's strange being the tallest person here, I like it though._ Haruto smiled gleefully. When we heard you two were visiting Japan without us, Keiko and I felt unloved. So Yoko here planned for a way to surprise you with our presence."

Iriamu, while still happy to see his long time friends in person, he kind of wished to have a free day, just him and Yoko. 'How about we go eat and catch up on what we've missed." iriamu soon interjected, wanting to get out of the alleyway.

(2spooki4u Line Break)

 _Tokyo, Japan_

 _October 31st, 2025_

"So I heard your birthday is coming up." Keiko stated, her hands cupped around a steaming mug of tea. Iriamu nodded, but was soon distracted by his surroundings. This small cafe had become a favorite of Yoko in the small amount she had been in Tokyo.

The cafe was quite small but still felt big. On three of the four walls stood giant windows, each decorated with signs and ads supporting the shop. The last wall, the one away from the street, was a coffee brown and a small bar where the store owner sat, a TV above him played the local news.

Bringing his attention back to the table, Iriamu glanced at each of his friends faces. _This is nice._ Iriamu sighed as he leaned back and took a sip of lukewarm tea. "So Uma, what do you plan to do while we're here?" Haruto soon asked while stretching his legs under the table.

 _I was planning to spend the evening with Yoko…_ "I don't really know, I was expecting Yoko to have something planned." Iriamu heard a playful cough besides him and brought his attention to it. "It's okay Yoko, If you weren't here, I wouldn't even know how to fold my underwear." The small group of friends chuckled and proceeded to sit in comfortable silence.

"Hey I know, how about we do that Haunted House Tour." Keiko said while looking at the TV. Bringing his attention to it as well, Iriamu had trouble hearing it, but read the subtitles instead.

 _Now here we stand in front of the Kazuto Haunted House. The Kazuto family who runs the shop have said their main goal was to attract tourist, and from the looks of it they succeeded._ The camera panned away from the female reporter to a long line of people standing in front of a decorated building. There were pumpkins with jagged rows of teeth and angled eyes, large walls of cobwebs, and skeletons hanging from the building, which made it stick out like a sore thumb compared to the other buildings nearby to it.

The camera soon panned back onto the reporter, who was standing next to a young couple, each were both obviously Japanese and held large grins while looking at the camera. _And now we are standing with the owners of the shop. Why did you design your shop to be so Western looking?_ The two people each responded in turn. _We had hoped to attract tourist, as you already stated, and it also is meant to give Japanese residents a taste of a Western Holiday._ The reporter, obviously pleased with the response, pulled away the mic and finished up. _Now that'll be up. We hope to you all here! Back to you Yuuki._

Iriamu brought his attention back to his friends. "What do you guys think?" he questioned, honestly not wanting to go. Looking to Yoko, Iriamu only saw eagerness and a curiosity to go. Sighing internally, he figured his answer. "I'd like to check it out." Haruto and Keiko nodded in agreement. "Sure, why not." Iriamu set down his cup and stood. "Well, let's get going."

(Halloweeny Line Break)

 _Tokyo, Japan_

 _October 31st, 2025_

Iriamu stood before the massive line of people, a loud buzz of English and Japanese flowed over the crowd. With his hands in his pocket, he looked around and saw another line, this one much shorter. Squinting, Iriamu realized that the shorter line was for adults and the other for children. _We're technically adults. Right?_

Not wanting to stress the details, Iriamu stepped into the shorter line while signaling the others to follow. Yoko stepped to his side. "Why are we going in this line?" She questioned. "Because it's for adults." This only seemed to confuse Yoko. "But we're not adults yet." Iriamu answered with "Or would you rather go in the little kids line. After all you'd fit right in." He chuckled at his own cleverness as Yoko punched him in the right arm.

Bringing his attention to Haruto and Keiko, Iriamu asked "Are you guys going to wimp out?" They both shook their head in unison. "I'm not letting this big man baby be better than me." Keiko piped in at the end, causing Haruto to look hurt. "I'm not that fat…" Haruto said under his breath.

Turning back around, Iriamu scratched his stubble.

"Hey Yoko," Iriamu asked "How do you think I'd look with a beard?" Looking down at his girlfriend, she had a cute look of pondering on her face. _I should really consider how lucky I am._ "I think you'd look good, but not with one of those thick, long, bushy ones." She concluded. _I've noticed Yoko as been more lively and happy after she got those new legs of hers._

Deciding not ponder on it, the line he stood in soon started to move forward. As he neared the entrance, he realized how much more... _Foreboding…_ the placed seemed. He knew he wasn't alone with this feeling as Yoko had huddled closer to him. Trying not show his unsettlement, Iriamu continued unscathed into the depths of the building.

As the group of four entered the building, the doors behind him closed. Turning around, Iriamu spotted Keiko and Haruto just as nervous as he was. Turning back forward, Iriamu followed the small mass of adults and fellow teenagers as they made their way deeper into the depths of the building.

As they went deeper in, Iriamu noticed the decorations became more menacing. It went from little plastic smiling pumpkins to blood covered skeletons. The sudden change was becoming even more unsettling when they saw what looked almost exactly like a human skeleton collapsed on the floor, a knife propped between its ribs.

"Uma, I don't like this." Yoko said in small little squeak as she gripped onto his arm. Trying to focus forward, Iriamu became extremely nervous, the large mass of people in front of them were gone. Looking around, he saw Haruto and Keiko still behind them, though Keiko looked like she was on the verge of a panic attack and Haruto seemed spooked, fear was written all over his face.

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Iriamu formed a plan. "We should turn back and try to get out."

Without a word, Keiko and Haruto turned around and practically sprinted in the opposite direction. "Hey wait!" Iriamu cried as he ran after them, Yoko in tow. After running for about a minute, Iriamu came to stop. Haruto and Keiko weren't to be seen, and worse of all, there was no door, but instead a giant grey brick wall.

Dumbfounded, Iriamu stepped back, almost tripping over Yoko. "Wha-What?!" Iramu looked around and soon found himself surrounded by brick walls. "Yoko!" Looking down, he hoped to find Yoko for comfort, but soon found his side to be empty.

As he started to panic, Iriamu crouched, pulling his knees close to his body. He was glad he did too because the room seemed to get smaller. _No enclosed spaces!_ As the walls seemed to close in, Iriamu's ears picked up a call. "Uma…" While it was very faint, he knew immediately it was Yoko.

Looking up, he soon spotted a small opening the walls and jumped toward it. The opening stood only at about two feet tall, just barely tall enough for him to slide into. "Uma…" Iriamu heard it again, Yoko's cried only giving him more energy.

Iriamu started to army crawl into the hole as the entrance became covered by something heavy. _Oh god._ Iriamu closed his eyes and continued the crawl as he desperately looked for a wait out of this hell.

As he crawled, the heavy air over him seemed to have lifted and Iriamu's eyelids lit up as a light source reached them. Opening them, Iriamu soon found himself in the center of a vast hall, Yoko standing in the middle. Looking at Yoko, Iriamu immediately noticed a difference. She was wearing her SAO gear. "Yoko?" He asked nervously .

Yoko turned around, but something told him that wasn't truly Yoko. Standing to his full height, Iriamu took a step forward, nervous to go any farther. Before he could do anything though, a black fade started to form around his vision, engulfing everything he wasn't focused on. As black overtook his vision, the last thing he saw was Yoko's lifeless blue eyes.

 _Wait, Yoko's eyes aren't blue._ As if some sort of switch was flipped, vision returned to Iriamu's eyes. Blinking once, then twice, he soon found himself standing in the middle of some sort of cafe, cheap plastic Halloween decorations hung from the ceilings and the walls. Standing in front of him was Yoko.

She looked up at him with her red eyes and pale skin. Her small nose. Her square jaw and medium length white hair. She was the true Yoko, and he was the true I- No, the true Umairi. He was Umairi. Smiling, Umairi looked down at one of the most important people in his life and smiled before everything faded away, the last true thing he saw was Yoko's smile.

 **A/N All of I to say is I did not expect this… at all. I was expecting like some funny light hearted story then I end up with this. Good job, can't even write what I want to write. Currently here in Southern Texas, we are getting severe weather so wish me luck. I'm hoping to get everything back to normal by the 50th chapter so don't worry if you're confused lately. Also wanted to see if anyone noticed that I named the Haunted House after Kirito.**

 **Guest- I'm glad you're liking this story, as it is only improv and bad spelling.**

 **deadpooltheelf- I'm glad you think that way, I am proud to know my story is at least being enjoyed.**

 **Coolbudd- I'm glad you asked that! I can either respond legitimately or like a troll. I'll do both. The #5 thing as something to do with Yoko and embarrassment, there's your hint. All things we'll be revealed for those who wait and continue reading, also I'm glad you're loving this hastily glued together of a plot story!**

 **That is all, please follow and favorite this shit, become a Desu today *Theme song plays aka Ring of Fortune from one of my favorite animes Plastic Memories***


	48. Chapter 47

_**Chapter 47- Tying Up Loose Ends**_

 **A/N Time for canon!**

 _Umairi sighed and looked down. Time to prepare for a scolding._

(The Line as Broken)

 _Floor 11_

 _February 8th, 2023_

Umairi sat cross legged across from Keiko as she ranted. "The least you could've done was try!" Haruto placed a hand on her shoulder and said just loud enough for Umairi to hear "That's enough."

Angrily, Keiko sternly nodded her head while crossing her arms. Umairi let out a sigh as the verbal torment stopped. Haruto brought his attention back to Umairi. "I'm sorry about Keiko, we were just very worried about you two." Umairi nodded. "It's fine, I'd probably be the same if you two had disappeared and never said anything but were still fine."

Keiko scoffed as she continued to look away. Turning to his left, Umairi sighted his body sitting next to him, its face calm and neutral. As he admired himself, a thought popped in to Umairi's head. "Hey Yoko," He said thoughtfully "What happened to that golden fleece thingy?"

Yoko's face became nervous as she put a hand to the back of her head.

"I kinda gave it Klein…" Umairi looked at Yoko as if he had heard her wrong. "Why?" Umairi tried to suppress his anger. Yoko slowly shrank as she talked. "Because it reminded me of you guys when I thought you were…" Yoko trailed off, red decorating her face.

Umairi blinked a few times while looking at her. _It's okay, stay calm it was an honest mistake._ Taking a deep breath, Umairi looked away from her and brought his attention back to Haruto and Keiko.

"So guys, me and Yoko have somewhere to be later tomorrow. Is it fine if we go?" Haruto took his time to respond but before he could say anything, was cut off by Keiko. "Not without us." _Oh…_ "Hehe, sorry about that Keiko, but only Yoko and I can go…" "Then the answer is no." She snapped back immediately.

"But we need to meet someone important." Umairi pleaded. "Then we can go meet him too." Keiko stated, not backing down. "That's the problem… He _only_ wants to meet us." Keiko seemed to only become more powerful the further Umairi fought on. "If you think I am going to let you out of my sight again," Keiko glared. "You're sorely mistaken."

"I can believe that, but this is something the person stressed, for only Yoko and I to go." Umairi argued. "Who are we going to meet?" Umairi looked to the noise and saw it was Yoko asking the question. Umairi quickly glanced the area before bending in low, practically next to her ear. "Promise me you won't react." She nodded hesitantly. "We're going to meet… someone who can help us switch back."

Yoko took a few seconds to comprehend this, then nodded. She leaned back up and kept her face neutral. _I need a way to keep Haruto and Keiko from coming...wait, I'll just have to sneak out when they aren't here._ As Umairi thought, Keiko continued her rant, not caring if anyone was actually listening or not.

 _When will they not be around so Yoko and I can go…_ "Hey Keiko," Yoko said quietly "The reason Uma only wants him and I to go is because we're getting relationship help." _WHAT!?_ Umairi stayed calm and tagged on "Y-Yeah, we've been going through a rough patch lately." This seemed to calm Keiko, and even made Haruto seem interested.

"Oh, you should've just said so!" Keiko chirped. _What an airhead._ Haruto made kind of a _talk later_ gesture then got up, pulling Keiko with him. "Come on, let's give these two some privacy." Keiko started to fight as Haruto pulled her out of the small room in the _Justice League's_ Headquarters. "Wait! I can't let Uma go again! No!-" The door closed behind her, leaving Umairi and Yoko alone at the low table.

"Relationship help, huh?" Umairi asked. Yoko quickly grinned before turning her face back to neutral. "When do we go to meet this man?" Yoko questioned while she fingered the edge of the sword at her side. "Supposedly, tomorrow on the first floor in the Town of Beginnings." Yoko sat silently as she looked down at the table, Umairi had already gotten used to seeing his own body when looking at her, but at this angle and light, he didn't look that bad.

 _I'm actually not that bad to look at._ Umairi soon brought his attention back to what was important. "Hey Uma," It was Yoko talking. "Yes?" Yoko took a deep breath and took her time to respond. "I don't think we should be...together...yet." She sighed before looking Umairi straight in the eyes. "I think we should separate. With everything going on, I think it'd be for the best." Umairi blinked once, then twice.

"Are you breaking up with me?" Yoko looked back down and said quietly "I'm under a lot of stress now, I just…" _So I get my first girlfriend, and then I lose her._ Umairi looked away while he tried to comprehend this. Abruptly rising, Umairi prepared to walk out of the room. "I'll get you tomorrow morning at nine." He finished and opened the door to let him out, making sure to not slam it when he closed it. Standing outside of the room, he stood there and thought.

 _I can't believe it, Yoko of all people._ "I heard what went on in there." Umairi started as he looked at the new speaker, it was Mato. She had her arms crossed while she looked down at the floor and leaned against the wall. "How?" Mato chuckled slightly. "Been working on my hearing skill." She leaned forward and let her arms fall to her side while turning to face Umairi. "Trust me, just because Yoko cut things off, doesn't mean she cares about you, if anything, I bet it's the opposite."

Umairi didn't react as Mato walked passed him while she smiled. He took a deep breath before walking forward away from the door, leaving Yoko behind, ready to begin another part of this adventure.

(Line Break of Thingies)

 _February 9th, 2023_

 _Floor 1_

Umairi stood at the main entrance to the Teleportation Gates, Yoko was to his left. _Here we go_. Leading Yoko along, Umairi kept his eyes out for Heathcliff, or Kayaba. As Umairi walked, he looked at his body and realized just how tall he was in comparison to other frontliners. His body even towered some of the men there.

Umairi brought his attention back forward when he spotted red and white armor ahead. Sidestepping a man in blue grey armor, Umairi now stood face to face with the man who created all this. Heathcliff smiled and took a step forward. "I'm guessing you're Yoko." Heathcliff asked while nodding at Umairi's body, which held Yoko. Yoko simply nodded.

Heathcliff brought his attention to Umairi. "So are you ready to begin?" Umairi nodded. "Whenever you are." Heathcliff's smile seemed… _Unsettling_ to Umairi. _I mean, he is the man who got ten thousand people stuck here and is responsible for most of their deaths._ "First we must find an inn or someplace safe for you guys. Lucky for you, I already have one for you guys." Heathcliff started to walk north. "If you'll follow me." Umairi nodded and followed the guild leader, Yoko right next to him.

After a few twist and turns, Umairi soon found an inn sign, Heathcliff stood under it, waiting for the two people. Umairi tried to ignore the strange looks he got from the people who had stayed in the town during the beginning of SAO. The few players who did go up floors seemed even more confused at why an important guild leader was with two people who weren't even part of the guild.

Heathcliff entered the inn while holding the door for the two people. As he entered, Heathcliff bent over slightly and said under his breath "Meet me at room two, I need to do something right quick." Umairi nodded and walked down the hall that lay to his right.

Down it stood what looked to be six doors, three on each side. On each door was a number, which helped Umairi at finding door two. Soon, Heathcliff turned the corner and walked up to the two people. "You're here, good." Umairi stepped aside and let Heathcliff open the door. Once open, Umairi and Yoko stepped into the room.

At the farthest wall stood to beds, each had enough space for one person. In between the beds stood a small window that allowed a small trickle of light to flood in, illuminating the dust particles.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Heathcliff questioned while he browsed through his menu. "Yep, it is." Umairi agreed. "I spent almost three weeks just to get the dust right." Umairi let that conversation hang as he stood in the middle of the room, Yoko next to him. "Now, I need you too lay on the beds." Umairi nodded and walked to the bed on his left, Yoko going to one on the left.

Laying down, Umairi looked at the ceiling, butterflies soon developing in his stomach. "How is this going to help?" Umairi asked. Heathcliff smirked. "This is how." He pressed a button on his menu, which is the last thing Umairi saw as black engulfed his vision and silence filled his ears. The feeling of the bed was gone and his nose seemed to be blocked.

The only part of him still working was his brain. Umairi started to panic, but soon realized this is what was going to happen. _Okay, just wait for Heathcliff to do his thing._

So Umairi waited for five minutes, ten minutes, twenty minutes, thirty minutes, fifty minutes, and at the hour, his vision soon started to return. Light filled his eyes and temporarily blinded him. Soon, his feeling returned, and then his smell, and last of all his hearing. Umairi looked around and saw Heathcliff wiping his forehead. He looked to his around some more and spotted Yoko, more like Yoko's body. Umairi looked down and saw a grey metal plate on his chest. Umairi grinned and let out a whoop in victory. _I'm back baby!_

 **A/N And we're done! Sorry I didn't release this earlier, my birthday was on seventh, and Fallout 4 and Halo 5 came out. Also sorry I didn't release earlier, as I said, Birthday. So yeah, Happy birthday me. I'll proofread this chapter when I get back from school as well. Well, please follow and favorite this shit, become a Desu today *Theme song plays aka Light is Green from Halo 5***


	49. Chapter 48

_**Chapter 48- Moving Day**_

 **8,000 views!**

 _Umairi looked down and saw a grey metal plate on his chest. Umairi grinned and let out a whoop in victory. I'm back baby!_

(Line Break of Long 75mm cannon)

 _Floor 11_

 _February 9th, 2023_

Umairi danced lightly as he neared the guild's headquarters. While he was still upset about the Yoko incident, he was _much_ more happy with the fact he was back in his body. It felt good to be a man again, the wind blowing in his short hair, not having to put much effort into how you look, Umairi was happy.

Umairi kept dancing as he walked down the lightly packed street, Yoko following him. The albino seemed to be weirded out by Umairi's dance of joy. "How are you so happy after I…" she stated silently. Umairi looked at her and grinned. "What's the point of living if you're always sad? And anyways, I had some... _reassurance_ , from someone important." Yoko raised an eyebrow, but didn't continue the subject any further, which was fine with Umairi.

As they turned another street, Umairi spotted the now familiar entrance to the _Justice League's_ Headquarters. Walking toward the door, he did all the secret password stuff, _which he really hated,_ and finally got in.

Once Umairi was in the base, he was surprised to see people scuttling around the area as they seemed to be cleaning. Standing at the far right side of the room, stood Larken, who was commanding the whole procedure. Umairi walked up to her confused, wanting to know what was going on.

"Oh Yoko, or Umairi, or whoever you are, welcome back!" She greeted, while quickly taking her focus away from the ruckus. "I'm back in my own body!" Umairi said gleefully. "Good for you." She responded before returning her line of sight to the commotion. "What's going on?" Umairi questioned while standing next to her, and Yoko next to him.

"Haven't you heard?" Larken asked a little surprised. "No." Larken grinned. "We're moving to the twenty-sixth floor!" Umairi was shocked and a little amused. "Really now… How are you going to do that?" This time Larken laughed. "Oh calm down, I've been planning this for sometime! Unlike you, which you like to wing everything, I actually plan." Umairi started to act hurt, as if the statement hurt. "Hey… I plan sometimes too."

Larkan grinned and looked at Umairi, who stood only a few centimeters below him, and looked up at him. "No you don't." Umairi made an exaggerated frown and said under his breath. "Well, maybe not all the time." Larken returned to her original position and said softly "Thought so."

As he stood, Umairi realized how much time had passed since he first was thrown into this Death Game. _So much as happened, yet so little time as passed._ It had only been four months since the start of the forsaken game, yet, here he was smiling. _I...I kinda don't want to go back._

Umairi knew it was a horrible way to feel, but still, here in this world, he was _something._ Umairi could still remember when he was younger, he used to wish he could go to a world like this and escape harsh reality. And sometimes, he still wished that. _I mean here, I'm a hero for some, an enemy for others, while in real life, I was just that guy in the back of the room who got alright grades and didn't talk much_.

Umairi looked out of the nearest window and spotted people walking down the street, all of them wearing some sort of armor, giving Umairi a strange feeling of _familiarity_. Shaking his head slightly, Umairi brought his attention back to bustle of activity in front of him and was pleased to see Haruto and Keiko helping out. _They grow up so fast_.

Umairi grinned when he saw Haruto and Keiko notice him, which they soon ran towards to greet. "I'm back in my old body." Cheerfully stated. Keiko tilted her head slightly. "How?" Umairi smiled and shook his head. "That story," He paused for a second to add effect, "is for another time. Until then what are you guys up too?"

Keiko attempted to wiggle around the fact that he had just changed the subject, so Haruto answered for her. "We're helping the people here to pack up so they can move floors." Umairi jokingly rolled his eyes. "Well, I knew that much. Anyway's, I'm back in my body!" Umairi cheered.

Haruto beemed. "Well, it's about god damned time!" Keiko, once she had comprehended Umairi changing the subject and Umairi was back, she ran forward and embraced, squealing with glee the whole time. "Uma's back!" She cried out in delight. Umairi broke out in a grin and pried the girl off of him. "It's nice to be back." He assured.

Though before they could finish their greetings, one of Larken's guild member called "Hey Larken! We're ready to go!" Larken nodded and she quickly looked at Umairi and friends. "I hope you guys don't mind, but could you help us?" Umairi realized she wasn't forcing them to help, even though they were obligated too, though Umairi would've helped any other way. "Yeah sure, where am I needed?" Larken grinned.

"Go help Rino with his stuff." Umairi nodded and went to fulfill that order.

(Line Break: Combat Evolved)

 _February 9th, 2023_

 _Floor 26_

Umairi gasped slightly as he leaned on his feet, trying to regain balance. He readjusted the large bag over his shoulder and shielded his eyes with his arm as he walked out of the teleportation gate.

Once his eyes had fully adjusted to light, Umairi got his first glance of the new floor. Like many other floors before, it was a lush forest, with tall green trees and birds flying through the canopies. The town the gate was in wasn't very large, maybe about a seventy-five houses, and a few frontliners walked around. Off in the distance, Umairi could see a large grey mountain, which it towered over the surrounding area. The shadow it cast seem to cover a kilometer of the area around it.

Umairi gently lowered the bag and surveyed the new floor as he waited for the rest of his companions to come through. "Oi...Uma...be careful with my stuff." Rino whined as he stumbled through gate, carrying an equally large bag. "Ah, you're fine." Umairi stated as he picked up the bag he had set down. "Why do you even have so much stuff?" He questioned.

Rino shrugged and responded exaggeratedly "I don't know, I just like stuff."

Umairi shrugged, he was fine with leaving the conversation there. As the final person appeared, Larken began to rally her guild and Haruto doing likewise. Umairi walked over to Haruto and asked "Where are we going?" Haruto brought his attention to Umairi and answered "I'm waiting for Larken to give the word." Umairi nodded stood idle next to Keiko and Yoko as Larken gave inaudible instructions.

Before Umairi knew it, Larken looked to Haruto and asked "You guys ready?" Haruto nodded. Larken smiled and raised her voice. "Alright guys, let's go!" The group of people cheered, but Umairi chose not too, he was feeling out of it for some reason. "Follow me guys!" Larken ordered as she began to march into the heart of the small village. Umairi followed as he looked around. The buildings were western, as like every other floor before, and had grey brick walls and green shingles.

After a few turns, Larken stopped and signaled for the main group to do the same thing. She had stopped in front of what looked to be an old store. "We're here guys!" She stated as she walked up to the door. With a few curses as she attempted to open the door, on silent hinges, the door finally swung open.

Umairi was one of the first few into the room, and it was certainly nicer than the old headquarters. In the main entrance stood a few tables and a hall which seemed to extend to the other side of the building. On each stood multiple doors and doorways, which he suspected led to other rooms.

Besides his current mood, Umairi couldn't help but grin, it reminded him of an office building had a throwback thursday. The walls were a tan plaster and the roof was white. Umairi walked in and set the bag down next to the door.

As the rest of the group began to file into, Umairi took the time to peek into each room. Each was bare and held little to no interest. Once Umairi was at the end of the hall, he turned around and walked back to help those unpacking.

Umairi bent over to pick up his bag again when he realized everybody had stopped moving. He stood back to his full height and looked at what everyone else was. About five meters away, stood a man in white and red armor with shaggy brown hair. He looked to be thirty.

The unknown man coughed and said with a monotone "I have come to return Umairi and Yoko to the official headquarters of the Knights of Blood Oath."

Larken stepped forward ahead from everyone. "What is the meaning of this?" She asked. The man didn't budge and sighed. "Umairi, during his… _situation,_ had promised to join the Knights of Blood Oath, so Heathcliff had ordered me to get him there before the next boss fight, and since he originally planned to send an invitation to Yoko, he has decided to invite both."

Umairi stood dumbstruck. _Did I promise? Oh god… I think I did. Wait, should I join them?_ Umairi gulped and took a step forward, but was cut off by an angry Keiko storming forward. "There is no way you're taking Uma!" She cried. Haruto walked next to her. "I agree with her here, we've been together since the beginning, and I want to keep it that way." Umairi had no objections, he wanted to stay, but at the same time, this was his chance! To become something even more than he already was!

But if he joined, he'd be leaving all his friends behind, it'd just be him and Yoko. Umairi knew what he had to do. He took a step forward and spoke for himself. "I'd like to refuse the offer." Umairi quickly glanced around and saw the relieved expression of his comrades. "As much as I'd like to accept, my loyalties lay with my friends."

The man nodded. 'Very well, I will return-" "I want to join." Umairi shot his gaze at the speaker and saw Yoko standing, her chest puffed out."

"Yoko, what are you doing." Umairi angrily asked between his teeth. Yoko ignored him as she walked forward. "I'd like to accept." The man nodded. "Alright, if you'd follow me." He turned around and began to leave, Yoko walking behind him. As Umairi watched her leave, she never turned around to look behind her. Umairi felt betrayed.

He was speechless, Umairi would've never thought she would accept. Umairi felt hurt, as if she didn't even care about them. But then, a sense of familiarity hit him in the gut. He had done the same thing. He had left without even considering their emotions. Umairi, for once, knew what it was like to get hurt in this way.

 **A/N Well, sorry about the late upload, I've been sick all week with puking and diarrhea so it has been hard to write. We are nearing the end of part one guys! Fifty chapters… man. How about that cliffhanger. I also kind hit writer's block when I did have time so I didn't get much done, so sorry. Just one chapter left till I can take a break! If you guys are worried about it though, I'm just going to take a week away from writing, though I might not, I don't know yet. I need to write one more 2000 word chapter after this to reach 80000 words, I can do it! I'm also a little sad since FF as deleted all of my older chapters because I hadn't renewed them. Well, follow and favorite this shit, become a Desu today *Theme song plays aka At The End of All Roads***


	50. Chapter 49

_**Chapter 49- Moving On**_

 _He had done the same thing. He had left without even considering their emotions. Umairi, for once, knew what it was like to get hurt in this way._

(Line Break is Coming)

 _Floor 26_

 _February 9th, 2023_

Umairi leaned forward in the chair, he didn't know what to think or say. For once in his life, Umairi felt defeated. Yoko was gone, Haruto was different, Keiko seemed more out of it. Even he had changed, though Umairi couldn't pinpoint what was different about him. He looked up slightly and thankfully realized he was alone, that's all he wanted now anyways.

The room was bare, as all the other rooms were in the building, and a small square window was to his right, the light it cast in giving everything a twilight feeling. As he prepared to enter back into his thoughts, a knock resonated from the other side of the door.

"Come in." Umairi stated just loud enough for anyone on the other side to hear. On silent hinges, the door opens wordlessly. "Sorry to bother you." A feminine voices apologized. Umairi soon recognized it to be Keiko. "It's fine," Umairi assured. "Some company would be nice."

Keiko beamed. "Good to hear." She quietly sits on the floor in front of Umairi.

The two sit like this for who knows how long, not wanting to destroy the delicate silence created. Though as Umairi expected, Keiko spoke first. "I'm sorry about Yoko." Umairi nodded and didn't respond.

As Umairi sat, Keiko became restless, she began to lay down and roll across the floor. Umairi wasn't annoyed, it took much more than that to annoy him. It was even funny to watch. Umairi chuckled slightly. Keiko stopped rolling and looked happily at Umairi. "So you aren't completely gone…" She grinned. "Of course not." Umairi responded. "It'd take much more than that to effect me." Umairi believed what he said was true, mostly. It wasn't really the fact that Yoko had dumped him that made him upset, but more of the fact that it felt like he had lost a close friend.

Umairi looked at Keiko, who carried a stupidly large grin on her face while she looked at Umairi.

"Come on, Haruto and everyone else are waiting for us." Keiko said calmly. Umairi nodded and rose out of the chair, and put out a hand to help up Keiko. She took it and Umairi pulled her up. Right before they left the room, Umairi took a deep breath and push emotions deep inside of him. As they entered the empty hallway, Umairi saw all the doors open and the insides dark, besides one at the end of the hallway, which he assumed was where everyone else was. Walking down the hallway, Keiko next to him, Umairi soon entered the room to be greeted by a flurry of conversation. At the sight Umairi, everyone fell silent.

Right as Umairi began to become nervous, Haruto stood and opened his arms wide. "Welcome back Umairi!" At that moment everyone burst back into conversation. Haruto signaled for Umairi to sit next to him, which Umairi accepted by walking over to him and sitting down in the empty chair, Keiko sitting next to Umairi to his left, Haruto to his right.

"Oi, oi, come on guys, this is a guild meeting." Larken tiredly notified. The talk gradually fell away until there was pure silence in the room. Larken readjusted herself in the chair and coughed. "I know you guys are excited to be in the base, but we need to get things back in order." Nobody said anything, which Larken then continued. "First thing first, we need to stop using the guild's budget to buy things we want. Especially you Rino." Rino grinned nervously and sunk slightly into his chair. "I understand you get hungry, but if you want food, pay for it with your own money."

And so, Larken ranted on, hopping from one subject to another until she seemed satisfied. "And for our final order of business, we need to make the transition of Shield and Sword joining our ranks smooth. Any ideas?" _Wait, join our ranks?_ Umairi stood, confused. "What do you mean joining your ranks?" Larken looked at Umairi, a look of annoyance shot across her face which soon turned to confusion. "Haruto didn't tell you?" "Told me what?" Umairi asked quizzically.

This time, Haruto answered. "Sorry I forgot to tell you Uma, but we're combining with Justice League." Larken nodded with approval at Haruto then looked back at Umairi. "Yeah, your old guild is going to make up the frontliner branch. Basically, you guys are going to represent us on the front lines." Umairi didn't know what to think, he liked Larken and her guild, but he never really wanted to join it.

Sitting down, Umairi tried to ignore the looks he got from everyone around the table. "Alright. Anyways, does anybody have any announcements?" When no one responded, Larken nodded. "Okay then, that concludes the guild's meeting, you may be dismissed." All at once, everybody began to move and rise, coupled with noise of conversations beginning.

Umairi was the last to rise, for he had much to think about. As he thought, a shadow formed over him, which Umairi was pretty sure was Haruto. Umairi looked up at his friend, trying to figure out what he was thinking in that head of his. "So, joining Justice League, huh?" Umairi asked. Haruto nodded, his face still not betraying any emotion. The two sat staring at each other, each one trying to figure out what the other was thinking.

Haruto finally coughed and said "I'm guessing you're not joining as well?" Umairi nodded. "I have other things I need to get done." Breaking away his eye contact, Umairi looked at Keiko who was still sitting next to the two quietly, waiting to see what would go down. "Have you known about this?" Umairi stated coldly. Keiko took a few seconds before she responded with a slow nod.

"But Uma, I've been thinking, I also don't really want to join…" She trailed off. "Uma, why don't you want to join?" Haruto finally asked. "In this guild we can actually increase our chances of living, and to add on to it, we're not even a real guild." Umairi abruptly rose. "We may not be a real guild, but our friendship is real, or so I thought." Before Haruto could respond, Umairi stormed out of the room and into the slightly crowded hallway.

There, he shoved past a few people and into the room assigned to him. After slamming the door behind him, Umairi hastily went to grabbing all the items that belonged to him and putting them into his inventory. Once the room was stripped clean, Umairi opened the door and walked towards the exit. "Uma! Wait!" Umairi stopped in front of the exit and turned around to see Keiko running towards him. "I'm coming." She said. Umairi had nothing against the fact that she wanted to come, he actually wanted someone to be with him. He turned around and took a deep breath before he turned the knob and opened the door, letting sunlight stream in.

 **A/N Sorry for the short chapter, it's just that so much as been going on lately. I have semifinals coming up for school and I had a project that I had to spend a week doing. What a way to end Umairi's adventure for some time. But anyways, here are some statistics of the story now.**

 **49 Reviews**

 **25 Favorites**

 **29 Followers**

 **8,904 Views**

 **Again, I'd like to thank all of you guys for sticking along on this mess of a story, it has been both an adventure for me, and hopefully, you too. There are obviously things I wish I hadn't done with this story, for example, I feel like I rushed with all the romance stuff, but I did try my best to fix it. I also wish I could've made the chapters longer. Yet again, thank you all for reading Sheild and Sword**

 **I'd like to leave this last part of this chapter in honor of MadLarkan, the inspiration of Larken. May he be missed (He turned out to be sort of a dick)**


	51. Chapter 50

_**Chapter 50- To Start Again**_

 _He turned around and took a deep breath before he turned the knob and opened the door, letting sunlight stream in._

(Linus Break)

 _Floor 26_

 _February 28th, 2023_

Umairi raised his sword, the one he had since the beginning of this death game, and brought it down with a war cry. What usually would've killed a monster easily harmlessly sunk into the large vipers neck, only dropping its health by a fraction.

Cursing, Umairi ripped his sword out of the beast and yelled "Yo-!" He stopped himself. Though before he could correct his mistake, Keiko sprinted in and thrusted her sword into the larger viper with a skill Umairi didn't recognize, causing it to hiss and retreat back, it's health down by a little bit over a quarter.

Keiko backed up as well, stopping next to Umairi. "Took you long enough to say switch." Umairi didn't respond, but rather nodded his head. _Why didn't my sword damage it? Had it finally become obsolete?_ Umairi chose not to believe it, but a nagging feeling kept telling him it was time for a new weapon. But he didn't want a new sword, this one had been to hell and back with him, all the while never failing, and still causing much damage.

The hissing of the viper brought Umairi back to the task at hand, kill the snake. "I'll go in." Umairi stated while signaling Keiko to step back. "But Uma, you barely-" "I'm going in." Umairi reassured. He pulled his sword at the ready and charged at the viper. Pulling back his sword in a vertical, he brought down the sword with all his might, but a gleam shot into the viper's eye.

It raised its tail, the green scales were like steel armor as it refracted and reflected the light from above. Umairi's blade made contact on the flesh, expecting it to go through, and with an echo like a bell, his sword shattered. Each shard seemed to waver in existence before they shattered in a shower of blue. A flash of wind shot by him to his right as Keiko ran in and finished off the large viper in one wide attack.  
As the monster left existance, Keiko quickly turned around, worry on her face. "Uma, what happened? What was that noise?" She asked nervously. Umairi sighed and looked at the ground as he went to raise his sword, before he realized, it wasn't in his hand. He quickly spun around to see if he had dropped, but to his dismay, it was nowhere to be seen. It must've shattered as well when he wasn't looking.

Trying to ignore the sadness filling up in him, he looked at Keiko and said "I need a weapon." It took her few seconds to comprehend what he said, when she did, Keiko said "I'm sorry about your…" She trailed off. "It's fine, no need to baby me. I'll miss her, but it was time I get a new sword anyways." Keiko nodded. "Let's head back to town." Umairi stated as he turned around and began walking in the opposite direction. Keiko soon caught up and the two walked in silence back to the twenty-sixths floor main town, its name eluded Umairi.

The scenery flashed by Umairi as he walked, the only thing he really knew was near him was Keiko, and soon the town came into sight. It wasn't big, nor was it small. There was nothing really special about it besides the fact it was the biggest town on the floor. As he and Keiko passed the main gate, he exhaled, knowing that he no longer could be hurt.

"So what's our first order of business?" Umairi asked, trying to show no emotion. Keiko shrugged. "I'm guessing we need to get you a new weapon." "Okay, then let's get to store."

It only took them a moment to find a weapons shop nearby, which thankfully wasn't crowded. As Umairi closed the door behind, he resisted the urge to sneeze as he watched the immense piles of dust get knocked over and flung into the air. The store was dark and had a stifling atmosphere.

Keiko walked up to the main desk that was to the right of the entrance and knocked on the wooden surface." As the two waiting for someone to respond, Umairi looked around at the weapons which were on display.

The wall opposite of the desk was filled top to bottom with weapons of all sorts, some were daggers, others were full sized two-handed swords. Each was beautiful yet mediocre at the same time. None of these swords seemed to fit him. Umairi let a small frown on his face, which he quickly erased when a door in the back opened. Out stepped an old man who looked to be in his seventies or eighties. The top of his head was bald and oily while he still had short grey hair on the sides. Besides his slouch, the man was still pretty large. He didn't wear much besides a plain brown tunic and leather apron, on his hands were two long black gloves.

The old man's face lit up slightly and he asked. "Are you here to buy anything." Umairi nodded. The man's face lit up even more. "Okay, okay, follow me." The old man opened the back door. "What about the weapons back here?" Keiko asked. "Oh, don't worry about those, those are just for show." Umairi and Keiko both hesitantly looked at each other, than silently agreed to follow.

Umairi passed through the door, Keiko behind, and was greeted by a large workshop. At the farthest wall sat a large furnace, the insides seemed to pulse with heat and light. Besides the furnace, the entire room was large and scattered, an anvil here, a couple of tongs there.

"What are you to staring at come here." The old man enthusiastically signaled for them in front of a door. Umairi stepped over some ingots of iron and stood waiting as Keiko came as well. "Well, what are going to show us?" Umairi asked. "So you do talk…" The old man said under his breath.

The old man opened the door and walked, signaling the two to still follow. Once inside, Umairi squinted in an attempt to make out the contents of the small room. As his eyes adjusted, Umairi beheld what looked to be an older and smaller forge.

The old man seemed to navigate the cramped room with ease as he picked his way to the back, towards a pile of wooden crates. With ease, the man picked up one of the boxes and set it down on a nearby table. As he waved his hands to disperse the dust knocked up, the man coughed and began to talk. "Well I'll be, I haven't had a customer in almost a year. I'm glad you two came along, for I would have no one to sell my wares too."

"What's in the box?" Umairi asked as he signaled towards it. The old man seemed to have comprehended what he said and continued. "These are my best weapons I've ever forged, though sadly no one wanted them when I made them. Since you were generous enough to visit my shop, I'd happily sell you guy's my best gear. Though there's one thing," The old man sighed. "They've all rusted and are of no value now."

Umairi raised an eyebrow. "Then why have you brought them out?" The old man didn't respond for a second before saying, "But I can save them. Down in one of the forest, there is a rare monster that drops a certain material, a diamond, that must be gained to access what I really need. Adamantine." The old man straightened his back and coughed. "Though this Adamantine is extremely rare and expensive, so once you get it, don't tell anyone you have it."

A yellow question mark appeared over the old man's head, signifying he had a quest. Umairi looked at Keiko who looked at him, and with a nod, Umairi looked back at the old man and said "We'll get you the metal."

The old man's eyes lit up. "Really? Well, good luck then." With a ping, the quest requirements and name popped up into Umairi's HUD.

 _Fixing What Must Be Fixed_

 _Bring the smith Adamantine_

 _1\. Gather diamonds on the twenty fifth floor from Goblin Monster drops_

 _2\. Use diamonds to gain access to the Cyclops Smith on the first floor_

 _3\. Return the Adamantine to the smith_

Umairi closed the menu and looked at Keiko who was still reading the requirements. "Are you ready to go?" He asked. She looked up and nodded as she closed her menu. "Than let's go." Umairi began to leave the smiths shop, Keiko behind him. He wanted this new weapon, no, he needed it. He needed it to survive this death game and return to his family.

 **A/N And Shield and Sword is back! I finished this chapter a little shorter than I hoped, but hey, I need to get started on the Christmas special *wink wink *. I would've finished this up earlier, but the Steam Winter Sale began. I was able to buy Nekopara, Red Orchestra 2, City Skyline, and Euro Truck Sim 2 all for 25 bucks. All hail GabeN. Please follow and favorite this shit, become a Desu today *Theme song plays aka Enough Dead Heroes from Halo CE***


	52. Christmas Special

_**Chapter 51- Christmas Special**_

 _ **If it isn't obvious, this isn't canon to Shield and Sword**_

 _He wanted this new weapon, no, he needed it. He needed it to survive this death game and return to his family._

(I understand it's the day after Christmas)

 _Narita, Chiba Prefecture, Japan_

 _December 24th, 2025_

Iriamu walked along the familiar street, his hand in his pocket. Trying to shake off the chill, he quickened his pace until he reached his street. Besides of the cold, it still hadn't snowed this year, which Iriamu was fine with. Once he spotted his house, he stepped up to the front door and let himself in.

Closing the door behind, he called out "I'm home!" Taking his shoes off and replacing them with slippers, Iriamu walked towards his living room. When he slid open the door, he immediately was hit by something on his legs.

Looking down, he spotted his brother, Riku, hugging his legs. "Brother!" It was strange to think that Riku was his brother since they looked nothing alike. "Hey mom, where's dad?" Iriamu asked as he looked up to his mom in the kitchen. "He won't be here this year, he's on a business trip. He asked us to call him later." Iriamu nodded and pryed his brother off his legs and pushed him back into the room.

"Are you not going to say hi to our guest?" His mom asked. Iriamu started to say "What do you mean?" When he saw a glint of white to his right. Turning around slowly, Iriamu saw Yoko casually sitting in chair drinking a cup of tea.

The only sound Iriamu could make was of surprise. "Nice little house you got here, Uma." Iriamu sighed. "For the last time, please don't call me that." Then with chuckle, Yoko set the cup down and brought her face up to face Iriamu. "How did you convince your grandmother to even let you come here?" Iriamu tacked on.

"She didn't." Iriamu nearly jumped to the moon in fright as he flinched. Behind Yoko sat her grandmother, which Iriamu had only seen on one other occasion. "Ahh, so you're Yoko's boyfriend… Thought you'd be taller." Before Iriamu could say anything in response, his mother began.  
"Wait, Iriamu, you have a girlfriend? That would explain why a cute girl would actually want to hang out with you." She chuckled. Iriamu turned around to face his mother. "You're not helping."

Bringing his attention back to the two guest, Iriamu was about to offer to bring Yoko somewhere else, before her grandmother began to talk again.

"I mean, Yoko was never really good with boys. I still remember her first crush she had, she had accidentally run over his foot." Yoko stopped moving as her face began to turn red. "Then there was one where she accidentally took his notes and had to go to his house to bring it back. She ended up crashing with her wheelchair in his house." Her grandmother grinned. "And my favorite one of all is when Yoko accidentally gave one kid her p-"

"That's enough!" Yoko cried before she shot up and grabbed Iriamu by the hand and began to pull him away. Then when Yoko realized what she had done, her face turned an even darker shade of crimson.

Soon, Iriamu's mother was laughing so loud, he was pretty sure their neighbors could hear it. Once she stopped, she said "You two can go up to Iriamu's room, just don't do anything you'll regret in there." Iriamu simply ignored the statement and reopened the door which led to the other kitchen entrance and the stairs.

Before he closed the door, behind him, Yoko's grandmother called "I've always wanted grandchildren!" Which made Iriamu chuckle slightly. Guiding the albino upstairs to his room, Iriamu let her in and closed the door behind them both.

Yoko looked around in awe as Iriamu turned on the lights. His room was still basically the same besides a few minor additions. The addition though, was, on his computer desk, sat his Nervegear. Yoko's head stopped turning and looked at his desk. She stood there, staring at the old machine.

"Uma, why is _that_ here?" Her words weren't particularly menacing or hurt, just confused. Iriamu sighed. "Besides what it did, I decided to keep it because it's where I met you, and Haruto, and Keiko." She nodded before returning back to her old self.

Very quietly, she asked. "How much did you hear my grandmother say?" Iriamu answered "All of it, though you shouldn't be embarrassed." He chuckled lightly. "With my first crush, I had thrown an eraser at a friend, which he dodged, and it bounced off the chalkboard and hit her in the eye."

Yoko snorted in laughter before regaining herself. "Hey, it wasn't that funny. To add salt to the wound, it was five days before the end of the school year."

Yoko soon broke out in full laughter. Iriamu grinned slightly, glad that she was here with him on Christmas. Though, if only Haruto and Keiko were…

Iriamu jumped as a bang, like someone broke open a door, resonated behind him. "Hello!" Iriamu turned around to see Keiko who had slammed open his door, Haruta right behind her. Looking back at Yoko, he saw she had the worst of it, since she was shaking, a plain look on her face.

"Sup Uma!" Keiko cried as she ran into his room and jumped onto his bed.

Haruto walked in behind him, two bags in his hands. The two were both wearing coats and pants, just like Yoko and Iriamu. Haruto set the bags down and sat on the edge of bed looking around. When his sight was set onto Iriamu's computer he asked "What specs are you running in that beast?"

Finally, something he could answer. "It's an Intel i9 6700k with a-" "That's boring talk." Keiko began to complain.

So the group of friends talked happily until it was time for dinner. Which Iriamu's mother had prepared. Before he knew it, Iriamu was sitting at his overcrowded table, the buzz of conversation all around him. Once his mother had placed the last of the food on the table, everybody cried "Let's eat!" and began to dig in.

Iriamu was a slight picky eater, but he still ate everything. He didn't want to make a fool of himself in front of his friends. It was good, and there were a lot of western foods, which had become tradition with his stepfather's American background. As the night wore on, and the group of people talked, the sound of a door opening closing came from the main hallway, which Iriamu didn't pay much attention too.

The sliding of a door alerted him though to some entering. Looking away from Keiko, who he was talking with, Iriamu saw his dad standing there with a grin. His mother was the happiest of everyone about their new arrival, who was quickly gorged with food like everyone else.

Laying back in his chair, Iriamu stretched his back and announced he was going to bed and offered to bring Riku to bed. He knew it wasn't that late, but still, he wanted his brother in bed before Santa came.

Once Riku was asleep in his bed, Iriamu walked into his room and closed the door behind him and began to undress. "What are you doing?" Yoko asked, which made Iriamu jump. "What are you doing in my room?" Iriamu asked back at her as he began to pull his clothes back on. "We're staying here for the night." Iriamu sighed. "Then why don't you stay in the guest room?"

Yoko turned away and responded quietly. "I don't want to." Iriamu grinned and walked up her. He started to pat her head. "What am I going to do with you. You can take the bed, I'll sleep on the floor."

"Wait, isn't it your bed though. You should sleep in it." Iriamu shook his head no. "You're the guest." Yoko didn't take it any farther. "Do you have any sleeping clothes?" Iriamu asked. Yoko stopped moving. "I kinda forgot my bag at my house…" Iriamu shrugged and reached into one of his drawers. After some digging, he pulled out a large white shirt and some grey shorts and gave it to her, Iriamu told her the directions to the bathroom so she could change.

Once she was gone, Iriamu began to set up a pallet where he would be sleeping on the floor. As he worked, Iriamu began to think. "I'm guessing Keiko and Haruto already left since they're not here."

Once it was done, Iriamu began to prepare himself. Yoko soon walked back in and laid herself in his bed. Once she was comfortable, Iriamu turned off the lights and laid in his makeshift bed.

After about five minutes Yoko asked. "Are you cold?" Iriamu responded "No." "Oh…" A little while later she added on. "I'm cold." "I can get you some blankets if you want." Iriamu answered. "That's not what I want." "Then what is it you want?"

"Can you lay in bed with me…" She trailed off. Iriamu chuckled and responded "Sure." He got up and steadied himself as he became dizzy for a second. Laying down next to the albino girl Iriamu closed his eyes and tried to sleep, but he began to find it tough. It was certainly warmer now that they were both under the blanket, though Iriamu tried to ignore some of the heat being produced.

After what felt like an hour, sleep began to tug at his eyes. Soon, he felt himself slipping into sleep. Though he felt eyes on him. Opening one of his eyes slightly so he could see out of it but not to where someone would notice it, he saw Yoko facing him, her eyes still opened. Her face was a mere few centimeters away and took all of his power to not get embarrassed. closing the eye again, Iriamu tried to sleep again, but he was finding it more and more difficult.

Then, out of nowhere, Iriamu felt something soft touch his lips. It was just a mere brush, but its effects were like waves of energy through his body. Iriamu soon felt the bed creak and move as Yoko turned over.

Iriamu soon did the same, his heart was beating a million beats per second as he turned over. Looking out of the window near his bed, Iriamu felt his face heat up. Looking at the stars above, something seemed to block some of them out. Squinting, Iriamu spotted what looked to be something moving across the sky, though it hard to make out. The moon which was on the other side of his house came out from whatever was blocking it to revealing what looked to be a sled being pulled by eight objects. On the sled looked to be a large figure. Iriamu grinned and turned back over, his mind at ease, and let sleep pull him into his mid.

 **A/N Bam, done. It took me one day to write this whole thing. That's what I get for procrastinating. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas. I know I did, and all I got was 500 dollars which will be going to finish my computer. Anyways, follow and favorite this shit, become a Desu today. *Theme song plays aka Ramen King by Pink Guy***


	53. Chapter 51

_**Chapter 51- Another Long Quest**_

 **Guys...It's finally here. 10,000 views. I made it to my goal. Also, this is my longest chapter yet**

 _He wanted this new weapon, no, he needed it. He needed it to survive this death game and return to his family._

(Line the Break Drop)

 _Floor 26_

 _February 28th, 2023_

As the two left the store, Umairi hefted his temporary sword in his right hand. It wasn't anything special, just a cheap generic one handed sword. Umairi put it back in the scabbard and looked at Keiko. "What's the first step again?" Keiko swiped open her menu and answered "Go collect diamonds from Goblin drops on the twenty fifth floor."

"So grinding?" Umairi asked. Keiko nodded. Umairi sighed. He had a certain hatred towards grinding, especially after he reached a certain level in some games. "How many do we need?" Umairi inquired. "It says around five hundred, I just guess we'll have keep killing until it says we're good."

"Let's get going then." Umairi said, not necessarily thrilled. The two walked to the teleportation gates in the center of town and teleported down a floor.

The twenty fifth floor wasn't crowded, as he expected from it's high death rate. Umairi stepped down and began to move towards the outskirts of the town, Keiko behind him. Umairi stopped right before he left the safe zone and turned to Keiko. "Do you know where these Goblins can be located?"

Keiko stopped moving. "No…" Umairi let out another sigh. "When we were down here, I never saw anything related to a goblin." Keiko added on. "Same." Umairi added on. Umairi observed the landscape in front of him while he also dug into his brain for what he knew about goblins.

As he looked, his eyes formed over what looked to be a dent in the ground, which peaked his curiosity. Then an idea formed. "Hey Keiko, did you ever see any caves while we were on this floor?" Still observing the land, behind him, he heard Keiko respond. "Now that you mention it, I did see things that might've been cave entrances, though I never brought it up."

Umairi was silent for a few seconds then asked "Can you remember where they were? Or at least their general area?" Umairi turned to face her. "Yeah, I think. It may take some time though." Umairi nodded. "Then let's go." Keiko began down the path which led away from the town, Umairi following her.

As the two walked down the path, Umairi made sure to keep his weapon at the ready, for he still remember how dangerous this floor was. "Keiko, stay close to me." Umairi ordered as he kept a look out. By then though, they had already been on the path for ten minutes. The forest around them was eerily quiet besides the sound of dripping water and the rustling of leaves. Besides the fact it was midday, there seemed to be a lack of light.

Umairi stopped, Keiko stopped half a meter in front of him as well. Pulling out his sword from his side, Umairi stood ready for an attack as he slowly did a three sixty. Umairi didn't know why, but his instincts were screaming at him that something was off.

After five minutes of nothing, Umairi sheathed his sword and signaled for Keiko to continue. Umairi couldn't shake the feeling away but this floor seemed even darker and more menacing than before.

As the two walked down the narrow forest path, the shadows on the earth seemed to disappear as the light getting through the canopies waned. It got to the point where it was almost like night. "Hey Keiko, are you sure we're going the right way?" Umairi asked, becoming worried that they had become lost.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure this is the right way." Keiko answered. So the two kept walking, until Keiko finally stopped. Umairi stopped next to the girl. "There it is." Keiko stated as she pointed with her finger to a part of a giant rock that seemed darker than the rest. Umairi nodded and started to trek towards the entrance as he cautiously stepped over uneven ground. 'Wait, Uma, are you sure we should go now?" Keiko began to become restless. "Something tells me that isn't exactly safe.

Umairi turned back to the girl. "We've gone this far, and besides, you have me here, we'll be fine." Umairi reassured. He had no idea where this little ego boost came from, but he hoped it would help Keiko feel better.

It looked like it did, just by a little. So Umairi and Keiko walked up to the entrance, the two stood side by side as they stared at the black hole in the side of the rock. "I guess you were right about this being a cave." Umairi said quietly. Keiko nodded.

"Well, it's now or never. Let's go Keiko." Umairi ordered as he started to walk into the stout entrance. The main entrance was only about one hundred and eighty centimeters tall, a few centimeters taller than Umairi, which he was okay with.

The two kept walking until the little light coming from outside disappeared. "How are we supposed to go any further if we can't see anything." Keiko asked nervously. "Don't worry about it. Most dungeons or caves I've encountered usually have some sort of lighting system."

So Umairi and Keiko kept walking, and thankfully, Umairi's prediction was correct, for about ten meters into the cave, there was some sort of glow in the dark algae that provided just enough light to see so you wouldn't trip on a rock or something just as bad.

As the two walked deeper and deeper into the cave system, Umairi felt the ground under his feet slant. It was only a minor change, but it was enough for him to notice. He looked at Keiko and whispered "The ground is starting to slant." Keiko nodded, showing she felt it as well. Even though Umairi had whispered, his voice still felt too loud for the cramped space, the walls making the sound bounce.

Keiko and Umairi continued down the slight slant, Umairi in front, Keiko behind. As they went deeper, Umairi started to notice other changes as well. The area seemed to get darker, and the ground slippery. Umairi wasn't claustrophobic, so this wasn't so bad for him, but he could see that Keiko was beginning to panic.

Umairi stopped and turned to the girl. "Keiko, it'll be fine. Trust me." Umairi tried his best to reassure his friend, though if it worked was up for debate. Umairi continued to walk, then the strangest thing happened, there didn't seem to be any solid ground under Umairi's foot. Immediately, Umairi's stomach dropped as he felt gravity drag him down, his other foot, which was on solid ground slipping and falling into the unforeseen hole with the rest of his body.

Umairi only fell for a second, but it felt like hours.

With a smack, Umairi finally hit ground with both his hands extended, which when he landed, slipped, causing him to bang his head on the stone floor. Groaning, Umairi pulled himself up while rubbing his forehead. He looked up and saw a black hole sitting in the roof.

"Keiko!" Umairi called, his voice was louder than he meant it to be. "Uma! Oh thank god. I'm coming down!" "Wait-!" Umairi was going to tell her to let him move first, but she didn't seem to get the message.

As Umairi quickly scrambled to move away from the hole, he heard her falling through, and with a painful thud, was smashed into the ground. Umairi groaned again. Keiko had landed rear end first onto Umairi's back. "Oh, thanks for catching me Uma." Keiko said happily as she got up off of him.

"I didn't voluntarily do it." He said back as he pulled himself up again. As Umairi straightened his back, he observed the room he was in, trying to make meaning where they were. It looked to be some sort of dungeon, as it was a large stone tunnel, with torches lining the wall every few meters, and about every fifteen meters, there was a plain grey metal door set into the stone. there didn't seem to be anything interesting in either direction so Umairi looked at Keiko and asked "Which way should we go?

Keiko hummed for a second as she thought. "I'm not sure, my gut says left though." Umairi nodded. "Before we go, make sure you have everything and nothing got damaged." He ordered as Umairi checked his own equipment. Keiko quickly did the same. Once they were both sure they were fine, the two went left down the tunnel.

Even though they weren't in any real danger yet, Umairi still kept his hand on the handle of sword as they walked, which prompted Keiko to the same. The tunnel was eerily plain, with nothing but the sound of their footsteps echoing down the hall. As Umairi walked, he watched each torch that he walked past, observing how they cast a yellow glow on everything. Each one was plain, as it was only really a stick, and the pieces of metal that held them in place were nothing special.

The path they walked soon slanted right at about a forty-five degree turn, which Umairi followed.

It had been about five minutes, when a familiar sound met his ear, a sound he hadn't heard in a long time. He looked at Keiko, who looked at him. They both knew this sound, the sound of group combat.

Umairi immediately unsheathed his sword and quickened his pace, making sure to keep his sword up and at the ready. "I need to remember that I need to watch how I engage targets. This isn't the same sword as before, it will break easier." Umairi thought to himself.

Soon, both he and Keiko were close enough to the disturbance to where they could hear voices, human voices. It was faint and drowned out, but Umairi barely picked up the word "Switch!"

The tunnel they had been following soon opened up to reveal a much bigger chamber. Toward one side was what looked to be a hoard of green monster who had their backs to him and Keiko. "Goblins." Umairi said under his breath, a sense of accomplishment filled him, they found what they needed.

Umairi looked at Keiko one more time and said "Let's go, we have some goblins to kill." Keiko nodded. The two both broke into a sprint at the monsters, who were about twenty meters away. Keiko, being the faster of the two, pulled ahead of Umairi, and charged a sword a skill. With a single swipe of her blade, two of the goblins heads came clean off, before they disappeared in a shower of blue pixels

Umairi soon came up and did the same, this time impaling one and killing it instantly. He pulled out his sword and swung it overhead, bringing it down with a slant, and cut off the head of a nearby goblin. It soon burst into a blue shower. Umairi swung his sword back and forth, easily defeated whichever goblin chose to face him.

And, even though Umairi couldn't help himself, he smiled. It had been too long since he had experienced combat like this. It was actually fun. Umairi brought his sword up and with one more Horizontal swing, he finished last of the monsters. Standing back to his full height, Umairi sheathed his sword and looked around. He looked around, and standing where the peak of the goblins attack was, was a group of four people all huddled together, a look of shock on their faces.

Umairi smiled. "Yo." He said as he raised his right hand in greeting. "H-How…" One of the players, a teenage male with straight black hair, asked. Umairi looked at each of the members. All of them were guys near the age of sixteen, besides one girl who looked to be around fourteen. "How did you guys get yourself in this situation?" This time it was Keiko talking.

One of the teens, a guy with long brown hair, seemed to snap away from his shock and said "We found this dungeon on our way to the twenty-sixth floor and decided to explorer it." One of the other guys there, the youngest looking of the group added on. "We didn't expect to get overrun by those things."

"How did you guys get in here, because from the looks of it, you came in here after us and from a different direction." The time it was the girl talking. She had black hair that went down the the small of her back and one side of her bangs was pinned. The guy with the straight black hair looked at the girl and said "Please Sis, let us do the talking." She nodded and stayed quiet.

"She asked a good question." Umairi stated. "We got in through what looked to be a secondary entrance or something." Umairi finished.

The oldest looking of the group, who also happened to be the tallest stepped forward, and looked straight into Umairi's face. Even though the teen was the tallest, Umairi was still taller than him by just a few centimeters. The teen had long dark brown hair, which swept to the slightly to the left.

He stuck out his hand and said "My ingame name is Kyle, but most people just call Koji. I'm the leader of Nippon Forever." Umairi extended his hand as well and took it with a firm grasp. "Name's Umairi, but most people just call me Uma." Koji nodded. Umairi let go of his hand as Koji began to introduce, each member of his guild, but they were cut short by the sound of swarm of feet.

Koji immediately stepped back and pulled out his sword. "There's more of them!" A grimace crossed his face. "Oi Uma, do you mind helping out?" He asked. "Do you even need to ask?" Umairi unsheathed his sword, Keiko doing the same.

Before he knew it, the a swarm of goblins came trampling into the room. It was larger than the swarm before, which Umairi was fine with. Right as the first rank of short monsters reached Umairi, he immediately dispatched most of them in one swing. "These things are a easy, a little too easy…" Umairi thought to himself as a suspension grew inside of him. Something was wrong, really wrong.

As Umairi finished off the last few goblins, he saw it was a safe enough to check his inventory to see how close he was to finishing. Umairi soon found he was at around seventy, so he quickly looked at how many he needed. "Seventy out of… five hundred…" Umairi's heart sank. He took a deep breath as another swarm of goblins came forward, what little scraps of armor they wore revealing their pale green skin and red eyes.

This group seemed to be even larger than the last, it almost seemed doubled. No, it was just his brain playing tricks on him. Umairo stood at the ready and the same thing as before occured, this time, it took longer than he hoped, and more than once, he was almost overrun.

Umairi took a deep breath and lowered his sword. He looked back at the guild behind him and said "How about you guys get going, Keiko and I here got things under control."

"Are you sure? You can come with us before the next wave spawns in." Koji asked. Umairi shook his head no. "We're here on a quest anyways so we'll be fine. Good luck." Koji nodded and said "Okay, same to you." Before he and his guild disappeared into one of the nearby tunnels.

Umairi looked back to Keiko and said "How much longer do you think we need to stay?" She shrugged. "We'll have to see."

So Umairi quickly made sure he was ready for the next wave, but this time, there was no next wave. Umairi's stomach dropped as he felt the floor underneath him vibrate, as if something giant was walking. In the center of the front wall, stood massive slabs of stone, which Umairi had missed when he had come in here.

With the sound like nails on a chalkboard, the door slowly swung open. Behind it stood a massive creature, a little over twice the size of Umairi. On its green body, it wore nothing more than a loin cloth and a shoulder bell. Upon the monster's head stood a giant hat thing, which almost resembled a crown. It let the club it was carrying dropped to the ground with a thud as it puffed out its chest and lifted its head.

The new enemy soon roared with so much force, it could've leveled a building, and it looked down at the two friends, its large red eyes flicking back and forth from the two. Above its head, Umairi saw what he dreaded would come, a title.

 _The Goblin King_

Under its name, was five healthbars, each overlaying the next. Umairi gulped. _Of course this always happens to me._

The goblin king raised its right arm, and with one large swing which almost his the roof, brought down his club with a enough force to split the stone underneath. Umairi immediately jumped away, Keiko doing the same in the opposite direction.

Umairi's combat senses kicked in and he instantly shot back up, quickly glancing over the Goblin King's body, looking for anything that might give them an advantage. As hard as he tried, Umairi couldn't find anything of use. His skin seemed to be tough, for he wore no armor, and his eyesight didn't seem so bad. He wasn't particularly fast, but fast enough to hit you if you weren't paying attention. As Umairi observed, waiting to pounce any moment, he spotted a flurry of motion to his right, it was Keiko.

The speed build was sprinting towards the creature, a sword skill at her ready as it left a trail of yellow light. "Keiko, why you…" Umairi cursed under his breath. It was time he acted or never. Umairi sprinted forward as well, trying to catch up to his blonde friend, but he just wasn't fast enough.

The boss caught sight of Keiko first, so he turned to face her head on. It picked up its club and with a slight swing of its arm, the boss brought the blunt weapon in low arc, which Keiko was barely able to avoid by jumping over it. That little distraction had given Umairi enough time to catch up, so he quickly pulled back his hand and charged a sword skill.

He let the system assist kick in as it pulled him along the steps required to complete the move. Umairi grinned to himself right before his sword made contact, he was right in its blindspot. Or so he thought.

With a quick turn of its head, the goblin king's stopped Umairi's attack as his blade sunk into one of the stronger parts of its body, the attack not even dropping the monster health by a fraction. Umairi swore. As quickly as he had jumped in there, Umairi jumped out, making sure to be clear of the kings weapon range. Umairi glanced at his companion and was displeased to see that Keiko had had the same luck he had.

Umairi quickly made his way to Keiko who had stepped back as well. Once the two were side by side, Umairi saw Keiko had a red pixelated gash on her cheek. "What happened there?" Umairi questioned. "That doesn't matter now, what does matter is finding a way to defeat this _thing_ before it defeats us." Keiko stated, her speaking was sped up more than normal.

"Hey Keiko, are you sure you're okay?" Umairi wasn't believing that she was okay. "I'm fine!" Keiko snapped back.

She sighed. "I'm just nervous, I don't think we can do this by ourselves." "Well we'll have to because it's coming towards us!" Umairi cried as he sprinted away, the goblin charging at where the two were. Keiko followed behind Umairi as he sprinted away.

Umairi kept sprinting, trying his best to stay ahead of the beast. Glancing behind him, Umairi was stressed to see him gaining. He needed a plan. And that's when he thought of something that could get him killed.

Now, everything seemed to slow down for Umairi. He stopped running and turned around as suddenly as possible while bringing his sword back for an attack. The king, somehow being able to stop fast enough, raised its club and with one swing, attempted to bat Umairi away. Though Umairi had anticipated that, so he jumped, barely avoiding the wooden weapon. Bringing his sword back, he released the skill and let the system assist kick in.

But he was never able to finish the attack as Umairi felt all the air leave his lungs. Wait, was he going horizontal? With a sudden stop, Umairi felt weak all of all sudden. Shaking his head slightly, he returned to his senses.

The boss had knocked Umairi completely across the cavern and was currently holding off Keiko. Umairi looked at his health, it was three fourths gone. Umairi cursed under his breath as he pulled himself up, trying to regain his sense of balance.

"It looks like you two could use some help." Umairi looked up to the speaker. It was the Koji and his friends. "I thought I told you guys to go, we can handle this." Umairi spat back. The oldest teen, Koji, stepped forward. "Trust us, we can help you. We're not completely defenseless." Umairi thought for a few seconds. "Fine, but I'm not responsible if one of you die."

Koji nodded. "So be it." Umairi picked up his sword and began to sprint back to the boss. Keiko was on her last leg. The boss raised its club and prepared to bring it down on the exhausted girl. "Oh no you don't." Umairi said under his breath. Jumping with all his force, Umairi raised his feet and barreled feet first into the blunt weapon, throwing off the boss's aim.

"Keiko! Fall back!" Umairi cried as he kicked off the club and flew backwards. She quickly got up and sprinted away, Umairi soon following. Once they were a safe distance away, Umairi ordered at the newcomers to send in their heavies to keep the thing distracted. "Remember, its fast, so you'll have to dodge its hits at all cost."

"Got it." The two largest people in the group, Koji and one of his friends, the one with brown hair, stepped forward, raising their shields. The boss approached the group, its heartless red eyes beaming down on them. "Keiko and I going to attack the sides, you two do the same." Umairi stated at the two other people near them. "Wait, can my sis stay back?" The girls brother asked. Before Umairi could respond, the girl spoke up. "Onii-chan, I can take care of myself. There is no reason to be so worried." The teen hesitated then sighed. "Fine."

"Okay, go! The girl follow me, the other go with Keiko." Umairi ordered. The two sprinted after their respective leaders. Umairi dared a glance at the goblin king. It was easily holding off the two heavies. He scowled, this wasn't going so well.

Umairi soon found himself a few meters away from the monsters flank. Pushing all thoughts besides the boss out of his head, Umairi charged in, the tip of his sword flaring to life with color. The boss attempted to turn to face Umairi, only to hit in the back by Keiko and the other teen. The boss's eyes flared at the damaged and it turned around to attack Keiko. Bad idea.

Umairi jumped up and released a sword skill into its back, and the girl doing the same. Umairi did a quick turn in air so he could watch the boss as he flew back. Keiko and the other teen were switching in and out, keeping the boss busy as the girl sprinted away. The two heavies were quickly healing themselves and preparing to push in again.

This was going well, or so he thought. Umairi landed on his two feet a few seconds after kicking off and sprinted around to the boss's back. "I actually did it! I hit it!" The girl squealed. "Good job," Umairi complimented. "Though its nowhere to being defeated." Umairi glanced at its health, four bars left.

He sighed, at least Umairi had something to keep him focused on. Especially with everything that had happened in the past month. At this moment, Umairi felt he actually had a purpose. He felt like he did when this game had started, a normal gamer. But this was no game, this was Sword Art Online, this was the real thing. If he died here, he died forever. Which is why Umairi was determined to survive this.

Clearing his mind again, Umairi sprinted towards the back of the boss, his sword coming to life again as he charged a sword skill. He was going to defeat this monster, no matter what it took. Umairi took a deep breath and raised the blade. With all his might, Umairi slashed the area behind the goblin king's knee, leaving a long red gash.

Umairi cringed as he felt the sword ripped from his grasp, which would've broken his fingers if this were real. Umairi back pedaled as fast as possible and attempted to find his sword. There it was, stuck behind its knee. The handle had caught onto one of the small bone lumps that stook out on its leg.

He cursed. "Keiko! I lost my sword!" Umairi called as tried to form a plan. The girl ran to where he was. "What happened to your sword?" She asked nervous. "I'm fine, just worry about yourself-" "The names Ayumi." The girl stated. Umairi nodded. "Ayumi, just worry about keeping yourself alive." Ayumi circled her shoulder and responded "I haven't felt this alive ever! I almost feel invincable." A determined look crossed her face.

"I feel I can almost defeated this monster single handedly." She looked away. It took Umairi a few seconds to realize her plan. "No! Don't!" But it was too late, she had sprinted off. Umairi felt helpless, there was nothing he could do without his backup weapon, than a thought crossed his mind. The Martial Arts skill. He had learned it for a reason.

Umairi quickly went over everything he had learned about the skill, it was time to do something stupid. Umairi sprinted after Ayumi, but he was gaining no ground on her. Ayumi jumped into the air and released a few skills into the goblins back, the same way Umairi had done it.

She jumped back again and quickly sprinted back in, but this time, the boss wasn't having it. It brought up its club and swung it horizontally, taking out Keiko and her companion. Then bringing its club up, the boss turned around.

Time seemed to freeze. Ayumi was in mid jump, her face contorted in an unreadable expression, the boss was in motion of turning around, ready to face the girl. Umairi could only do one thing, he jumped up and brought his fist back, a glow seemed to surround them. Right as the boss's club swung around, Umairi was there, ready to punch it away.

It sorta worked. Umairi released the skill and his fist made contact with club, though it only lessened the force behind the swing, not stopping it. Umairi grunted as he felt his whole body flying in the opposite direction again. His surroundings were a blur as Umairi rolled over on the ground.

With a moan, he pulled himself up again and looked at Ayumi, and that's when he realized something, she practically wore no armor. Umairi was wearing heavy armor so the attack was mostly cancelled out for him.

Ayumi's heath dropped into the red. Umairi's had stopped in the orange a long time before hers. In a panic, Umairi pulled out a potion and scrambled over to he, but the boss had different ideas. It brought up its club and swung it down on the downed girl, launching her to the right like a golf ball.

Umairi's rage boiled inside as picked himself up and sprinted after her. No one was going to die on his watch. Once he reached her, Umairi found her on her stomach, not moving.

Umairi crouched down and rolled the girl over, her health slowly going down. Umairi quickly attempted to open the potion, but his hands were shaking. Umairi slowed as he saw a hand placed over his own. He looked at Ayumi who had a smile on her face. "Give it to me." She said quietly. Umairi nodded and let go of the potion. She uncapped the top and slowly downed the drink, but her health had already dropped into the single digits. Four, three, two, one… it stopped, and slowly rose by three digits.

Umairi didn't realize he had been holding his breath. Exhaling, Umairi closed his eyes and thought. He had almost let someone die. "No, it was my fault." Umairi looked at the girl, who was looking at him. "I shouldn't have gotten cocky. It's just, I've never had so much fun in this game."

Umairi kind of understood. "It's fine, let's at least get back to the fight. She nodded and began to pull herself up. "Stay back and let yourself heal, I can handle it from here." Umairi ordered. She nodded in response. Bringing his attention back to the battle, Umairi was happy to see the boss's health down to two and a half bars.

"Go kill that monster." Ayumi said as Umairi prepared to sprint in. He nodded and Umairi began his sprint. The monster slowly began to get bigger as Umairi neared closer. Umairi felt it was time to finish this fight. He quickly opened his menu and found his back up sword at the ready. Equipping the blade, Umairi went through the motions of Sonic Leap, an attack he hadn't used in a long time.

Umairi felt himself rise into the air as his body went through the motions of the attack and with all his might, Umairi aimed for the back of goblins neck, a common critical spot. The skill released and it bolted him towards the beast.

The goblin king yelled in anger as the sword tore a section of its neck away, dropping its health to two bars. Umairi landed nearby and turned around to face the monster. Sprinting around its side, Umairi made sure to keep out of its field of view. For a brief moment, Umairi was brought out of his concentration as he spotted Keiko fly by, taking out some more of the boss's health.

Umairi grinned as he sprinted under the boss, making sure to release as many swords skills he knew. Sprinting away, Umairi looked at how much health was left. One bar. Umairi continued the battle, Keiko, him, and the other teen all weaving in and out and around the boss, trying to whittle down that last bar.

They were so close. Umairi swung his sword up and over his head as he cut out one more chunk of the boss's leg, dropping its last bar into the red. Umairi released another war cry and shot his blade into the goblins thigh, and then its calf, and soon after, its knee. Umairi brought down the sword onto its calf again, but was met with the sound of his sword shattering.

Trying not to break his flow, Umairi quickly found his other sword and pulled it out of the boss's leg, which also took some more health. Swinging around one more time, Umairi released a simple slash.

The sound of what sounded like glass breaking filled his ears as blue light circle around Umairi. Dropping his sword, which soon broke as well, Umairi looked around. The goblin king was nowhere to be seen. Umairi looked up and saw a stats menu above him. Backing up slightly, he got a glimpse at the menu. "Well, at least we don't need to get anymore diamonds." He said, his voice sounding strange to him.

Umairi fought off fatige as he looked at the people in the room, before he saw blackness engulf his vision and he felt his mind lose control of his body.

(Line Break of more!)

Umairi had no idea how long he had been out, but all he knew was he was safe. Umairi's eyes soon opened, light flooding his vision. Umairi slowly looked around. He seemed to be in a simple inn. Looking down at the weight on his chest, Umairi saw Keiko laying silently on his chest. Umairi raised a hand and shook the girl, who moved around in discomfort. "Keiko, wake up."Umairi said quitely.

She seemed to respond to his voice as she lifted her head, and tiredly looked at him. The amount of emotion she displayed at the moment was impossible for Umairi to comprehend. Keiko was crying as she banged her fist on Umairi's clothed chest. "I thought something had happened to you! You didn't even move for a whole day!"

"Wait, I was asleep for a whole day?" Umairi asked suprised. Keiko sniffled and nodded. "Can you please get off my chest though, I need to get up and move. Keiko nodded and she pushed herself off of him. Umairi propped himself on his elbow and looked around, trying to get an understanding of his surroundings.

"What happened after I defeated the boss?" Umairi asked. Keiko explained how the guild they encountered went on their way after they had helped Keiko bring Umairi to town. "They were nice people and they even offered us an invatation to their guild." Keiko finished with a sniffle. "And you denied it?" Umairi asked. She nodded.

The two sat in silence as Umairi planned in his head. "How about we take a break from that quest and go out to eat." Keiko's face lit up. "R-really?" Umairi nodded. "Sure, on me." Keiko smiled. "So you're asking me on a date?" Umairi chuckled. "Of a sorts." Keiko giggled. "Yes, I'll happily go on a date with you, Uma."

Umairi smiled back. "So where do you want to go?" Umairi questioned. "I don't mind, as long as I get to be with you." Keiko answered back, a look of content on her face.

 **A/N OH MY GOD! It's finally done, my longest chapter yet. It's what 6,000 words? All I know is that it took way too long to make. My PC is finally done, so I can know game at a counfy 1080P.**

 **Sherlock D Holmes: Thanks for the reviews, glad to see you enjoying it**

 **Simba(a lot of numbers): Once a desu, always a desu**

 **ARandomGuy: The specials, as I said aren't canon to the S &S story line, so there kind of like fanfiction in a fanfiction.**

 **Please follow and favorite this shit, become a Desu today *Theme song plays aka the One Punch Man OP***


	54. Chapter 52

_**Chapter 52- A Date With Uma**_

 **A/N it's about time we show Keiko some love, after all, she's never had even section for herself**

 _"I don't mind, as long as I get to be with you." Keiko answered back, a look of content on her face._

 _(Line Break of Keiko in Italic)_

 _March 1st, 2023_

 _Floor 25_

 _Keiko_

Keiko hummed happily as she walked down the near deserted street, her arm intertwined with Uma's. He didn't seem to mind the close contact, which she was happy with. During the events of before, Keiko had pushed her feelings for Uma down after she realized Yoko and Uma were a thing, but as he was now, Uma was fair game. She chuckled.

The two wandered the streets of the floor's main town, looking for any nice establishments to eat at, though it was Uma who pointed out a bright little store on the corner of a street. The sun was still high up and in early afternoon when they entered, so it was more lunch rather than a dinner. The two entered the shop and were pleased to see it deserted besides an NPC near a window and the owner, who sat behind a counter.

This time, Keiko pulled Uma to a table in the back, where the two would get some privacy. Uma followed without rebelling and took a seat, his back facing the door.

The owner of the shop, a woman in late thirties with brown hair, soon came to the table and asked what the two would like.

"I'll take the chicken breast with a side of white rice and water." Uma said casually. "I'll take the same." Keiko added on. The owner left, leaving the two alone. "Man, it's nice to actually have a break after everything that's happened." Uma said as he stretched his back. "Been to long since I've spent time with you Keiko."

Keiko grinned and looked away, this was nice. As Uma began to talk about this and that, Keiko spent the time planning in her head on how she could make her move on Uma. After that close encounter yesterday, Keiko had decided that she wanted to be closer to him, though the difficult part would be getting Uma to feel the same. She'd have to get him in the mood, and to do that, she would exploit his male instincts.

"Here's your food." The owner soon returned carrying two plates of food. "That'll be forty col." Uma nodded and the transaction tab opened, which he quickly paid. The owner nodded her thanks and left the two alone again.

"Let's eat!" The two said before they dug into their respective meals. For once in a long time, Keiko actually felt... _normal._ With her being stuck in SAO, she's had no time to actually feel normal. Keiko happily moaned, this food seemed better than usual.

"I will admit, the food seems to taste better than what I'm used too." Uma stated as he swallowed a bite of chicken. "I think its because we're eating it with the people we care about." Keiko responded. Before she knew it, the two were done with their food, Uma being the first to finish.

Happily, Uma leaned back and patted his stomach. "Well that was nice, but it's time we returned to the quest." Wait, Keiko didn't want it to end yet.

She stood up suddenly and leaned forward over the table until her face was only a few centimeters in front of Uma's face. "I don't wanna finish yet." The two stood like that unmoving, until Keiko felt her face heat up and she backed away.

Uma shrugged. "Fine, if you want, we can spend the whole day on break." He obviously wasn't happy about it, but Keiko's plan rode on the fact that they spent the whole together.

"We can go browse stores if you want." Uma said. Keiko nodded. "I'm happy to do anything with you." He shrugged. Rising, Uma made his way out of the store.

As the two walked towards the market half of the town, Keiko extended her hand and intertwined her fingers with Uma's hand which were at his side. He made no effort to pull away, and even though he acted normal, Keiko could see his face turn slightly red, which made her chuckle.

Once the two were at the markets, they happily browsed each of the vendors, looking at the cool weapons and clothing items on display.

"Uma! Look how pretty this dress is!" Keiko squealed as she felt the fabric of light green simple dress. It had two straps which went over the shoulder and a beautiful green flower design which went along the bottom. "It looks pretty good." Uma agreed.

"I'll take it." Keiko said to the NPC at the stand, an old lady who wore a big grin as she looked at the two. "Sure young lady, that'll be sixty col." Keiko was confused. "But this says one hundred-" The old lady winked. Keiko didn't continue and happily bought it.

"I want to try this on!" Keiko happily said as she held up the dress. "We can find somewhere to change." Uma quickly looked around and spotted an indoor clothing store. "There." Uma headed toward it, Keiko followed.

Once inside, Keiko quickly spotted a changing area. "I'll go change." Keiko said as she walked towards it. "Okay, I'll wait for you out here." Uma said as he turned his back to the wall.

Keiko stepped into the booth and closed the curtain. She opened her menu and unequipped her current gear.

(Intervention)

 _Umairi_

Umairi sighed as he looked around at the store, it was strange. It looked like a modern clothing store, but it was made out of wood and there was actually armor on display towards the back of the store. Even then, most of clothes looked like medieval era clothes.

"Alright, I'm coming out." Umairi heard behind him. He stepped forward and turned around. Keiko hesitantly stepped out of the booth, and he was stunned.

The green dress hung off of Keiko's shoulders and her blonde hair fell in waves across her back. It took Umairi alot of effort to hide his embaressment. "Well, what do you think?" She asked. Umairi nervously laughed and looked away. "Pretty good, I guess." "Oi, pretty good? What's the supposed to mean." Keiko said angrily, which made Umairi laugh.

He got over his nervousness and looked back at the girl. "So what next?" He asked. "We find you something nice."

(Intervention Line Break 2)

 _Keiko_

"Trust me, I know what I'm doing." Keiko said as Uma complained his current clothes, or armor in this case, was fine. "You look strange walking around without a breast plate yet wearing gauntlets and shin guards."

"What's wrong with that?" He asked. "Fine Uma, do you have anything nice to wear." Keiko said sarcastically. "I-uh...I have…" Uma trailed off than crossed his arms and looked away. "Fine, I don't"

Keiko chuckled. "Exactly, now come on, I have an idea of something cute but casual." "You mean handsome." Uma corrected.

"No, cute." Keiko corrected back as she began to stride among the displays of clothing items. As she began to browse, Keiko heard Uma mumble something about not wanting to be cute, but she ignored it.

The two people walked around the store, Keiko sometimes holding up clothes for Uma to wear, and other, more rare times Uma pointing something out. Before they knew it, a warm glow of orange began to form outside. "It's now time for Operation Uma to begin." Keiko thought.

Uma bought the clothes Keiko had picked and begun to look for them in his inventory. "Uma," Keiko began. Uma stopped looking and looked up at the girl. "There's one more place I'd like to go before we return back to the inn." Keiko finished, she felt more nervous than usual.

"Okay, where is that?" "You'll see." Keiko finished. Now hurry up and equip the clothes you got."

(Line Breakish)

 _Umairi_

Umairi tried not to stumble as Keiko pulled him along the empty street. After equiping the clothes Keiko had told him to buy, she had immeditatly grabbed his hand and began to lead him away. After a few turns, Keiko stopped near the outskirts of the town, in the area right before you'd exit it.

She soon found a hill that gently desended, which she prompty sat down on. "Sit." She ordered as she patted the spot to her right.

Umairi did exactly that, and the two sat side by side, looking at the sun set over the side of the floor. "So this is what you wanted to show me." Umairi said quitely. Keiko nodded. The sun light was gorgeous, its rays bouncing off the green fields of grass and the canopy of the forest. This gave the whole area a peaceful look, which was something the twenty-fifth floor never seemed to have.

"You know, I never got to thank you." Keiko said quitely. "For what?" Umairi asked. "For everything. You saved me, you took me in, you helped me get stronger." Umairi was going to protest, but Keiko was looking at him, a strange look in her eyes.

"You-you've changed my life for the better." Keiko said, as she crept closer to him, one of the straps of her dress fell off her shoulder, revealing a bit to much.

Umairi didn't know how to react, and most importantly, he was trying to ignore the area under her head. So naturally, Umairi leaned back, yet it didn't seem to stop Keiko's approch. Before he knew it, her face was centimeters from his. Umairi soon felt something on his cheek and hand, Keiko had placed her hand on his cheek and her other overlapped Umairi's hand.

Umairi tried to choke out an excuse, but his body didn't move, his mouth didn't even flinch. Keiko soon closed her eyes, and Umairi did the one thing he could, he let it happen. His heart was beating a thousand beats per minute, he felt very light headed. Though it felt good, besides his denial.

Keiko pulled back, but Umairi wanted more.

This time he leaned in and the two connected one more time. Umairi couldn't help it, but this felt right to him, not rushed.

Before he knew it, the two were side by side, still connected. Umairi pulled away, his breathing heavy. Keiko's cheeks were flustered and her cheast heaved. "Uma… It's okay, go ahead." Keiko said quitely as she took his hand with hers and began to place it near her chest. And that was the last bit of detail he remebered of that day.

The rest of it, he knew, was a lot of kissing until late in the night. Once the two were so tired they could barely keep their eyes open, they got up and returned to the inn.

(Line Break of No Way)

 _March 2nd, 2023_

 _Floor 25_

Umairi woke up in his bed, his mind still felt strange after what happened. "I'd never done that with Yoko." Umairi thought as he rose. Keiko wasn't here, so he guessed she had left to do something since it looked to be late in the morning.

Umairi rose out of bed and quickly dressed himself in the clothes Keiko had told him to buy. Umairi didn't have to wait long for Keiko to return, she had apparently gone out to get them breakfast.

The two sat at the table in the room and silently ate, not knowing what to say to the other.

"Hey Keiko, about last night," Umairi began. "It's okay if you hate me, it was my fault anyways." Keiko said as she looked at the floor. "No, that's not what I was going to say." Umairi felt his face heat up. "I actually rather enjoyed it." Keiko perked up. "R-Really? Even besides Yo-"

Umairi nodded. "She made it obvious she wasn't interested in me anymore, it's time I moved on anyways."

Keiko's face lit up. "So does that mean we're…" Umairi nodded. "If that's what you want to call it." Keiko soon broke out into a massive grin and she launched herself across the table, nocking over the food in the process, and hugged Umairi.

Umairi smiled, he felt that Keiko and him had become closer, even closer than before, and this time, it happened naturally.

 **Oh yeah and, Uma and Keiko did not get it on, don't want people to think they did.**

 **A/N Bam, I bet none of you expected that. Umairi is know with Keiko, which will tie in with the story later, but I don't know what else to say. Oh yeah, another early chapter. I need to catch up on what I missed while my PC was dead**

 **Please follow and favorite this shit, become a Deso today *Theme song plays aka This Glittering Band from Halo 2 Anniversary***


	55. Chapter 53

_**Chapter 53- Finishing This Quest**_

 **11,000 views**

 _Umairi smiled, he felt that Keiko and him had become closer, even closer than before, and this time, it happened naturally._

(Breaking a Line for a Break)

 _March 2nd, 2023_

 _Floor 25_

Umairi quickly equipped his armor. Keiko already had her armor on, so he was trying to hurry so she didn't have to wait too long. With everything that had happened the day before, Umairi felt that this was all a dream.

It seemed to fake to be real. Umairi just couldn't wrap his head around. "Hey, Uma, are you ready to go?" Keiko asked, her back to him. "Yeah." Umairi responded.

"On our way down, we can maybe pick you up another pair of swords." Keiko said as she turned back around. "Yeah, that's probably be a good idea."

The two left the inn and quickly stopped by a weapon shop. Once Umairi had grabbed two more generic swords, the two went to teleportation gates and went down to the first floor.  
Umairi looked around at the crowded main gate. He couldn't help but feel like he stuck out. Everyone here had something to tell that each of them belonged to the same group, whether that be colored armor or a helmet.

He pushed the thought back and continued to shove his way passed the groups, which was easy since Umairi was taller than most of the teens. Once out, Umairi and Keiko quickly found a store to rest at and plan their next step.

"Where do you think we can find this Cyclops thingie?" Umairi asked while drinking his cup of tea. "I'm not sure, do you have an idea on anyone who might?" Keiko answered back. As the two sat thinking, Umairi couldn't help but feeling awkward.

The two were, technically, together, yet it felt awkward to be around her. Umairi began to bounce his right leg in an attempt to keep himself busy and stop his mind wandering about Keiko, after all, he was only a pubescent teenager.

Then an idea struck him. "I think I know someone who can help us." Umairi blurted out louder than he wanted it too. Keiko raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

Umairi quickly explained to Keiko about the information broker, Argo. "And you think this person knows where we can find the Cyclops Smith?" Keiko asked. Umairi nodded. "And I have a general idea on someone who can get us there."

(Line Kappa Break)

"So what was your reason for bringing me here? I'm kind of busy." Kirito said, a look of annoyance on his face.

"Sorry to bother you, but we need to meet Argo, and I've been led to believe you know how." Keiko said, her voice sounding much more mature than usual. Kirito sighed as he closed his eyes and rubbed the back of his head.

The group of three stood in a tense silence as Umairi and Keiko waited for his response. "Fine, but I can't stay for long, I need to get back to the front lines." Umairi smiled and he saw Keiko's face light up. "Thank you very much!" Keiko cried as she smiled.

Looking at her smile, Umairi felt something strange form in his gut. He didn't know why, but he started feeling a warmth towards the girl and a tension would form in his chest. Though whatever it was was pushed away when Kirito said "Are you two just going to stand there, let's go."

Umairi nodded and he watched as Kirito opened his menu and quickly typed out a message, which he promptly closed and began to walk down the street. Umairi and Keiko followed, the group of three not talking as they walked down the crowded streets of the first floor's town.

Eventually, Umairi quickened his pace so he walked next to Kirito and asked "Where exactly are we going?" "To meet The Information Dealer of course." He said back. Umairi couldn't tell if he was joking, but decided not to continue it, so he slowed down a bit until he walked next to Keiko again.

After a few twist and turned, Umairi sound found himself at the entrance of an alleyway, the other side not visible because of a massive a brick wall. Umairi and Keiko stopped, he knew what she was feeling about this. "Hey Kirito, isn't this place a little... _shady_?" Umairi asked.

Kirito waved his hand. "Trust me, you'll be fine." Umairi nodded and he stood next to Keiko as they waited for Argo. Eventually Keiko broke the silence. "Hey...Uma…" Keiko whispered, her gaze still focused on the alley. "What would you do if I were to…" Keiko gulped and she seemed stressed, a look of sadness in her eyes.

"To what?" Umairi asked, though he was cut off as a short figure dropped into the alleyway from above, the persons cloak billowing around them.

"Alright, what's the meaning of this?" The speaker asked as they approached the group of three. "These two here wanted you, I don't need anything right now though." Kirito said as he used his thumb to signal to Keiko and him. Umairi raised his right hand in greeting.

"I remember you." The cloaked person, also known as Argo, said as she leaned slightly to look at him. "You were the one who asked about that girl's bra size, what was her name, Yuuki? No, Yoko, right?" Umairi's face quickly heated up in embarrassment. "I-uh-" Umairi began to sputter. Keiko's sad emotions seemed to die away as she slowly looked at a Umairi, a look of fire in her eyes. "You did what?" Umairi immediately stepped away. "I was just curious, I didn-"

Keiko raised a hand and looked away angrily. "Well, I guess I won't let you see me in my underwear than." "When did we agree on that!" Umairi cried. "Wait, so you don't wanna see me in my white panties?" She asked, a look of hurt on her face.

"I never said that either!" Umairi cried. He did have to be honest with himself, he wouldn't mind seeing her in her underwear, though he was a guy so it was only natural. "If you two would stop bickering like an old couple and tell me why you need me, I'd be happy." Argo said.

Umairi nodded and looked back at Argo. "We need help finding where the location of a certain quest is." Argo cocked her head slightly. "I'll tell you, but at a price of five thousand col. So what's the name of the place?"

"The Cyclops Smith or something around there." Umairi answered. Argo's whole presence seemed to dim, the shadow under her cowl becoming darker. "No." "No?" Umairi asked confused. "I won't tell you. That place only brings pain and destruction." Umairi was confused.

"Please just tell us. I'll even pay ten thousand for the info." Umairi pleaded. "It's going to take more than that." Umairi quickly remembered how much col he had, around seventy thousand. "Twenty thousand." "No." "Forty thousand?" "No." "Seventy thousand?" Umairi asked, hoping she'd say yes. "No."

"But that's all I've got!" Umairi said, he just wanted the information. "Hey Argo, just give it to them." Kirito spoke up. Argo looked down at the ground, until she finally took a deep breath and looked up.

"Fine, but if you die, it's not on my hands." Umairi smiled in victory. "So that'll be five-" "No no, you said seventy thousand, I expect seventy thousand." Argo said, her head shaking. Umairi felt hurt, he'd been saving up to get new armor for weeks now. Umairi felt a hand on his shoulder.

He looked at the person the hand was connected to and he soon found himself looking at Keiko. "I'll pay for it." Umairi was about to argue with her, but Keiko put a finger over his mouth. She took her hand away and Umairi was quite.

Keiko stepped forward and paid for the information, which Argo took with thanks. The information broker quickly jumped up and like some sort of ninja, and jumped to the roof tops, disappearing behind a roof.

"How does that work?" Umairi said quietly before his train of thought was interrupted by Kirito. "Well, I must get going. Also, I see you got back into your body." Umairi nodded. "How'd you do that?" Umairi chuckled and shook his head. "Somethings are better not known." Kirito didn't push the sunject any further and he quickly bade his farewell.

Now it was just Keiko and him, the two stood shoulder to shoulder, facing the small empty street that the alleyway was located on. Keiko sighed and Umairi brought his attention over to the girl.

Keiko looked back at him, a look of caring in her eyes as the two enjoyed their closeness.

Umairi still couldn't put his finger on it, but a weird feeling spawned in his chest, the same kind that made him want to get close to a girl and hug her. Had he always felt this way about Keiko? Umairi's own emotions were being thrown out of sync.

"I think we should get going." Keiko soon said. Umairi nodded. "Do you have the map data?" Keiko smiled as she began to walk onto the street. "Of course I do." and with that, the two set off.

(I need to learn how to make proper Line Breaks)

Umairi stood before the massive cave entrance, it's top almost three Umas tall. How was this not on the map?

He looked at Keiko who was gazing in awe at the entrance and a sudden wave of awkwardness hit him, which made him angry.

He needed to get his emotions in check soon, because he knew they'd cause problems. They always had before.

Keiko looked back at Umairi and giggled. "What?" Umairi asked confused. "Your face then was funny." She answered back with a smile. "You wouldn't think it was funny if you knew what the face meant…" Umairi thought to himself.

"Well I guess we should finish this quest." Umairi finally said as he led the way into the cave, though he was only able to make it a few meters in before he smacked head first into a wall.

"Ow…" He moaned as he rubbed his forehead.

Umairi soon heard another giggle behind him, but this time, he ignored it. It took Umairi's eyes a few seconds to focus before he was able to see what was before him. It looked to be a massive metal door.

"How do we...um...get in?" Umairi asked. "We knock of course." Keiko said sarcastically as she made a fist and banged on the door. "Now, we should get to looking for an entrance lever or something." Umairi nodded, though he didn't need to look for long.

"What do you want?!" An angry voice said, the voice sounded like it belonged to an old man who was missing his teeth. "Wha…" "Don't wha me! You do realize it's not nice to go banging on peoples doors?"

Umairi looked at Keiko, who seemed a little shocked that knocking did work. "We are here on a que-" Umairi began before the old man voice made a spitting noise and said "I don't like quest here. Now shoo."

"W-wait!" Umairi said desperately. "What?" The voice said, obviously annoyed. "We'll pay." Umairi knew it was a last ditch effort, but that's what the diamonds were for, correct? The voice made a sound that obviously stated he was interested. "How? And I don't want any of that worthless col just so you know."

"Oh, it's not col." Umairi reassured as he opened his menu. He quickly scrolled through his menu until he found it and pressed the button for it to appear on the ground. With a sound like a bunch of glass bells getting hit, a massive pile of roughly five hundred blue diamonds appeared, each reflecting what little light that came in and bouncing it to the surrounding area.

The old man voice made a whoop in glee and said joyfully, his voice rushed, "Here, deposit those beauties over there. Do you see the hole in the wall?"

Umairi looked around and to his surprise, saw a hole in the door to his right. Quickly picking up the diamonds, Umairi dropped the precious metals into the hole.

"Thank you for your generous gift. As a reward, I will grant you entrance to the Smith of the Cyclops." The voice said, its voice changing from an old mans to a definitely not human growl mid sentence.

The doors opened swiftly without making a sound, revealing a massive hallway, lined with torches the size of small trees on each side. Umairi gulped and he looked at Keiko, who looked just as nervous as him.

Before Umairi could take a step in though, Keiko looked at him and embraced his right hand with hers, which formed massive butterflies in his stomach. Umairi and Keiko soon stepped into the hallway, ready for whatever would come at them.

 **A/N Ha! Got eem! Will you look at that, I've actually been releasing chapters in time. So proud of myself. On another note, the first chapter of S &S as officially reached 2000 views. Yee.**

 **Sherlock D Holmes: No, Uma and Keiko did not make sweet love.**

 **Please follow and favorite this shit, become a Desu today. *Theme song plays aka Won Chu Kiss Me from Sakura Trick aka the best Yuri anime in existence.***


	56. Chapter 54

_**Chapter 54- The Past of Keiko**_

 _Umairi and Keiko soon stepped into the hallway, ready for whatever would come at them._

(Line Brike)

 _December 15th, 2022_

 _Floor 3_

Keiko laughed with the group. This wasn't the first time that Spirite had slipped up. Her long white hair fell as she covered her face with her hands. "It's fine Spirite, no need to get all embarrassed." Grim, the leader, stated as he combed back his black hair.

Spirite looked up, her light blue eyes watery. "R-Really?" This time, Keiko talked. "Yeah, we didn't mean anything about it. It's just that you're so cute." Keiko finished with making baby sounds at the girl.

She became annoyed and puffed out her cheeks. "Oi…" This made the group of five laugh even harder. Keiko stopped teasing her friend and brought her attention to the group.

"So Grim, we're going to fight in the dungeon basically?" Neil asked, his tanned skin and curly brown hair and eyes stood out compared to the rest of the group and his armor marked him a heavy. Grim nodded.

Keiko now looked at the group's only other heavy, Pom. His lightly tanned skin and brown eyes shone with a light of knowledge while his brown hair hung over his forehead. He looked at Keiko, which Keiko nodded, before turning her attention back to the conversation.

"Are we heading out tomorrow?" Neil asked. Grim nodded again. "No reason to go now." "Well if that's the case, than I'm heading to my room to rest." Neil stated before rising out of the chair and leaving the inns dinner area.

"And I think Spirite and I should get resting as well." Keiko said as she rose out of her chair as well. "Come on Spirite." Keiko said as she grinned at the thirteen year old. She nodded and soon followed.

Keiko took a few turns and she soon found herself in her room with Spirite. The two, without saying anything, switched into their night clothes and began to prepare themselves for bed. After all, it looked to be ten o'clock outside and they were leaving first thing tomorrow morning.

Before she knew it, she was laying in bed, Spirite in the other bed in the room. "Hey Keiko…" She heard a small voice say from the other bed. "Yes Spirite?" "I've been thinking. What if… What if I don't make it through all… _this._ " "You'll be fine." Keiko reassured while she stared at the ceiling.

"I miss my parents. I miss my old life." Keiko looked over at the girl to her right, her back was to Keiko. "You'll be fine. Now good night." Keiko said as nicely and reassuringly as she could. Keiko saw her head move up and down.

As Keiko soon found herself nodding off, she heard Spirite say very quietly "I love you…" before her mind slipped into the realm of sleep.

(Line Break of Plot)

 _December 16th, 2022_

 _Floor 3_

Keiko walked with the main group towards through the fields. Spirite stood next to her, a look of unease on her face.

"Hey, is everything okay Spirite?" Keiko asked while looking down at the girl. She looked up at her and nodded. "I just have a nervous feeling forming in my stomach." Keiko soon chuckled and smiled at the girl. "You'll be fine, after all, you have us." Spirite grinned, but she didn't seem so convinced. "But what if I end up slowing the group down?" This time, Keiko rubbed her head and responded. "One day, you'll probably be the strongest swords woman in SAO, so we'll end up being the ones slowing you down." Her face lit up. "You really think so?" Keiko nodded.

Keiko's happy train of thought was soon crushed at Grim saying "We're here." The entrance to the dungeon was massive, the rocks around the entrance were so black, they seemed purple.

Keiko walked up to Grim and asked "So how far are we going in?" Grim rubbed his chin as he thought. "I'd say probably five floors in, but let's try not to go past ten." Keiko nodded and returned to her spot next Spirite. Grim turned around and faced the group. "Okay, we're only going to go in about five levels up." He looked at Keiko for a split second. "And this time, let's not get separated from the rest of the group."

Keiko smiled sheepishly and waved slightly. "Alright, Neil and Pom will take the lead, Keiko and Spirite, you guys will stay in the middle, I'm going to stand in the back and watch our rear." The whole group yelled "Yes sir!" Before they quickly formed up and began to march into the entrance.

Keiko stood next to Spirite, the two having their swords out and at the ready. Before they knew it, the first monster appeared. It was a humanoid creature with no features and a spiked mace. "Keiko! Spirite! Get in there and kill it. Pom, Neil, keep its attention!" Grim ordered.

Keiko sprinted towards the beast, Spirite soon joined her. Bringing her sword back, she slipped in between the gap between Pom and Neil. Her sword by this point left a green trail, which screamed at her to release it on the monster.

Before the humanoid thing could react, Keiko jumped up and cut off its arm, before turning around cutting off its head, effectively killing it in a shower of blue. Her victory was short lived though as another one of those creatures appeared.

"Spirite!" Keiko cried at the girl, hoping she understood what she wanted.

"Got it!" The young girl called back as she ran in, her one handed sword's tip gleaming red.

She slid to a stop next to the monster flank and cut off one of its skinny legs, causing to fall over. She than proceeded to decapitate, finishing off the monster. "I did it!" She cried as she jumped up and down.

"Not quite." Keiko responded as she ran past the girl, preparing to kill the next creature which had appeared.

The group of five slowly continued down the hall, fighting off anything that meant to harm them.

The way this dungeon, and many of the other dungeons before it, worked was that the tower that connected the floors to each other, stored that floor's dungeon. It was ingenious, but at the same time, made each dungeon kind of like its own Aincrad.

Before Keiko knew it, they had gone up five flights of stairs. She stopped at the entrance of the fifth floor and turned to Grim. "We're on the fifth floor, do we head back or keep going." Grim looked at the people of the group before bringing his attention back to Keiko.

"We can keep going." Keiko nodded and she continued into the dungeon. The first creature to appear seemed different from the ones before. It blended in with the shadows, even though its head scraped the roof of the dungeon.

With one step, it walked out of the shadows, revealing its horrible figure. The face on it looked to be a contorted boar, while its body seemed more like the one of a gorilla.

With the sound of what seemed like a mixture of oinking and grunting, the creature got into a battle stance, which just was it leaning forward slightly. "Um Grim…" Keiko heard someone say behind her.

"Crap, I think that's a dungeon boss." He concluded. "We have to take the utmost care when fighting this thing." Keiko grabbed Spirite by the shoulders and pulled her back.

"Okay, Neil, Pom, push forward, give the creature something to fight." The two heavies listened without a word and began to advance on the minor boss. "Keiko, Spirite, I'm going to help you guys here." Grim stated as he walked up to the two girls.

Keiko nodded. "Spirite and I will attack the left flank, you get the right." Keiko said. "Got it." Grim ran off, and Keiko quickly sprinted into the battle as well. She charged a sword skill and quickly released it on the arm of the gorilla thing.

(Liine Brreak)

Keiko sighed as she sat down on the stone floor of the dungeon. "Finally!" Spirite sat in front of her, exhaustion on her face as well. "We did it." She said while looking at Keiko.

She nodded and looked at Grim who was drinking a potion, his health rising. "That was a nasty hit you took there." Keiko tiredly said. Grim grinned slightly. "Yeah, it's been awhile since I had a fight like that." Keiko grinned back. "I think it's been awhile since any of us had a fight like that."

"Come on and get up. We're heading back." Grim soon finished. "The same for you too." He stated while walking over to the two heavies who were both resting.

"Fine…" Keiko moaned as she pushed herself back up again.

The group soon began to leave the same way they came in. The monster they fought on the way out were the same as before, but seemed so easy after fighting that thing, which Neil had began to call a Pigorilla. On their way out, the group of five encountered another group of people heading into the dungeon.

Grim greeted them and told them that most of the few floors had been cleared. Before she knew it, Keiko finally had the sun on her face. She grinned with glee and stretched her back. "Sun light." She said under her breath. She hadn't realized how long the group had spent in there, because the sun was casting a warm glow over the fields of the third floor.

"We better hurry back before it gets dark." Grim concluded. Keiko nodded in agreement. "Maybe we can-" Neil began before getting cut off by Pom. "Stop talking, something isn't right." Keiko rarely heard Pom talk, but when he did, it was deep and had strength behind his words.

"What do you mean?" Grim asked. "Why would you-" Neil was cut off again, but not by Pom this time. A knife which looked to be half a foot long embedded itself in Neil's forehead. "Neil!" Grim cried before another knife blossomed from his shoulder knocking him down.

"They're poisoned! I can't move." Neil cried, his entire body was limp as he laid on his back in the dirt. Keiko instinctively ducked, bringing Spirite with her. Pom was able to bring up his shield in time to stop the missile meant to hit him.

Spirite began to cry from sudden shock, but Keiko quickly patted her on the back. Pom scooted his way over to Keiko and asked "What's the plan?" Keiko unsheathed her sword as her answer. Pom sternly nodded.

"Will you look at that, it look likes we missed some." A voice said. The speaker soon appeared, an evil grin on his face." The rest of the bandit's crew appeared. "What do you want!" Grim grunted out, his body still not moving. There looked to be ten or so attackers, all of which looked they could easily down Keiko.

"Oh nothing, just the thrill of the kill." The leader smiled, his eyes shone with the light of a madman.

Pom stood to his full height of roughly one hundred and eighty centimeters. "You can leave now, or you can face me." The bandit leader didn't seem phased by the large man.

"Oh sure, go ahead, take a swing at me." The leader let his arms hang at his side. Without hesitation, Pom took out his sword and prepared to swing at the leader, but before he could, the bandit leader snapped and a volley of small knives embedded themselves into Pom.

He growled in anger as his body went rigid. Keiko heard Spirite hiccup slightly, which Keiko began to comfort the girl.

"Well, you got lucky." The bandit looked at Keiko. "That was our last volley. I guess we'll have to finish you two off the old fashion way, and what a pity too, such pretty faces."

Keiko scowled. "You better back off." She said, trying to add as much venom as possible behind her words. "Oh, and what are you going to do against us?" He had a point, but Keiko would stand and fight.

To enforce his point, the leader took out a mace and dropped it on Neil, causing his health to fall.

"Keiko, run!" Grim ordered. "No." Keiko responded as she stood back to her full height. Keiko would not let them have their victory. The bandit leader grinned, as if he wanted this to happen.

"Kill the others, I can handle her." He ordered. "No!" Keiko heard Spirite cry out. "Try and stop me." One of the leaders goons took out his sword and stabbed Neil in the gut, his health falling into the red. After a few more twist and stabs, Neil's health was gone.

He burst into a bunch of blue pixels. "Neil!" Spirite cried before her voice hiccuped and she sobbed more.

"You bastard!" Keiko yelled, besides her own will, she felt her eyes water up. Neil had been with them since the beginning. "Now time for the other heavy." He grinned at Pom.

"Any last words?" He asked. Pom said nothing but glare at the man. The leader extended a hand, which a sword was promptly put into.

"Good Night than." He stuck the sword into Pom's side, dropping his health. The bandit leader twisted the sword, until Pom's health disappeared as well. He shattered into nothingness.

By this point, Spirite's cries turned into wales. Keiko too felt warm tears run down her cheek. She wanted to stop them, but what could she do. It would only get her killed and leave Spirite defenseless.

"Time for the last one." The leader said. "Curse you! Curse your whole family!" Grim began to yell, his voice shaky. "I hope you all burn in hell!" The leader tsked in annoyance and said "Won't you shut up." As he stuck the sword through Grim's head, effectively quieting him in one go. Grim was gone.

Before Keiko could do much more, she felt something restrain her from behind. She began to kick and scream, but it did nothing against her captors iron grip. Spirite screamed as she saw Keiko get pulled away.

"Spirite!" Keiko screamed, her arms flailing. "Run!" Spirite pushed herself up as she began to sprint off, but she was to late, as the leader grabbed the girl's ankle.

"Where do you think you're going little missy?" Spirite screamed, which caused Keiko to feel a surge of energy go through her. She turned as much as she could and bent her captors arm in a direction where it wasn't meant to go.

He cursed and Keiko sprinted away from the captor, towards the leader, who was ready to strike down Spirite.

He seemed to notice her a little too late as his sword skimmed past Spirite's hair, nearly cleaving her. The leader cursed as his sword flew away, leaving him defenseless. "Keiko! What do I do?" She cried as she backed away from the other approaching attackers.

"Run! Get away, I'll be fine! Go!" Even more tears flooded down Keiko's face. Spirite was so young, she didn't deserve this. "Fortis! Use your backup dart! Bring her down!" The leader ordered as he slowly beat Keiko in the wrestle.

She dreaded what came next. Keiko heard a whistle as the dart flew over her head and a thud as it hit its target.

Spirite screamed. In that split second, Keiko lost her train of thought, her muscles giving out for a second, which is all the leader needed. Keiko was thrown away and the bandit stood. Pulling out a dagger, he marched over to Spirite. "Time to end this." He said, his voice shaking. Spirite's voice trembled as she cried for help.

Keiko shot back up, but it was too late. Spirite no longer cried. Keiko's eyes became blurry as they swell with tears. "Spirite!" She cried with sadness.

The bandit leader stood back to his full height. "Look what you had me do. Get her!" He ordered. Keiko immediately took off sprinting. She could run to the town, but it was to far. Her only bet for safety was the dungeon that led to the bottom floor.

So she took off in that direction.

Keiko ran and ran for what felt like days to her, but even then, the bandit group's speed builds seemed to still keep pace with her. Before she knew it, Keiko finally reached the dungeon entrance and sprinted in, jumping over traps and monster as she went. She ran through the empty floor boss room, through the many stairs and halls, yet the speed builds somehow kept up with her.

Keiko soon found herself running through the fields of the second floor, the sun still up for the most part. Her breath was heaving, and her legs felt like lead, but she kept running.

When Keiko soon found herself about to shut down, she was blessed to see a light of hope, people. A large group of what looked to be ten or so. So she did the only thing she could, she screamed.

It worked, soon the mass of people sprinted towards her, and leading the group was a teenager with brown hair that was a mixture of messy and combed, his lightly tanned skin seemed to blend in with the orange of the floor.

She ran into the group and hid behind the one who looked to be a heavy. Soon the groups battled it out, with the leader saving a white haired girl, who reminded her of Spirite.

Soon though, the sadness of the events melted away. The leader was huddled over, after all, he had just killed a human. Keiko couldn't help it, but she fell for him then. That teen had sacrificed everything he had to save her.

Keiko did the one thing she could to help him, she comforted him…

…

 _March 2nd, 2023_

 _Floor 1_

… "Keiko…" Keiko!"

Keiko snapped out of her trance she was in, Uma looked at her, a look of urgency in his eyes. "We've got a problem." He pointed to a massive rat looking creature who was preparing to attack them. It lurked in the shadows of the many crevices of the wall. The Cyclops Smith was so close, but why did they have to be attacked now?

She looked at Uma who already had his sword out, prepared to fend off the creature. His hair was the same as she remembered it to be all those months ago. As much as she wanted to just relax, the time wasn't then. The giant rat thing launched itself, its teeth shining in the fire light.

 **A/N And we're done. This chapter was a little last minute cause I didn't have enough done on the Cyclops Smith chapter so I kinda just pumped this out. I hope you guys enjoyed**

 **Please follow and favorite this, become a Desu today *Theme song plays aka Ashes from Halo Reach***


	57. Valentine's Day Special

_**Chapter 55- Valentine's Day Special**_

 **12,000 views**

 **Also 100,000 words! It took almost a year but we're finally here!**

 **A/N Before you guys complain that you want to get to the main story of S &S, hear me out. I have a tendency to celebrate holidays in my writing rather than do stuff, mostly because my friends never bother to invite me to parties and such.**

 **And if you're wondering why Uma is with Yoko this chapter, they do end up getting together again, but not till way later down the S &S plot line I have (barely) planned out. And just to clarify, Keiko won't be in here for reasons that I will not say. **

**Oh, and this isn't canon to the plot of S &S, do I need to say this again?**

 **...**

 _February 13th, 2025_

 _Nishitokyo, Tokyo_ _, Japan_

Iriamu laid back at his computer desk, his eyes felt heavy as the hours wore on in the night. He looked at the clock. "20:56" **(9PM)** He muttered to himself. It was still early in the night and he wanted to level up a few more times in his game, but he decided against it. He had school tomorrow after all.

Iriamu found no reason to stay up, he could just do that tomorrow, which was Friday. With a grunt, Iriamu picked himself up out of his chair and turned all his computer stuff off, like his mic, before quickly stripping to his underwear and collapsing onto his bed.

After some fidgeting, Iriamu found himself laying on his back with his blanket covering the lower half of his body.

It had been a week since he had been released from the hospital, his body mostly healed, yet he still felt weak. After finally leaving that game, Iriamu had found himself recovering quicker than he thought, and before he knew it, he was back in school. He even made sure to get a haircut, which was now back to its short length. Soon his thoughts were brought back to Valentine's Day.

He sighed. "I wonder if I'm going to get any chocolate…" He murmured to himself. Iriamu wouldn't say he was exactly popular with the girls, but he was known among the school of SAO survivors for some of his feats accomplished in that stupid game. Though he found it hard to hate SAO, it had introduced him to so many people, good and bad, and even for awhile, made him feel like he had a purpose.

So Iriamu let his mind wander, going from topics like "I need to shave." to "I hope I actually get to do something on Valentine's Day." Before he knew it, sleep tugged at Iriamu's conscience and he let the comfort of blackness enveloped him.

(Line Breakk)

 _February 14th, 2025_

 _Nishitokyo, Tokyo_ _, Japan_

 _Beep! Beep! Beep!_

Iriamu groaned as the annoying bug of a clock went off. Instinctively, he rolled over and slammed his hand on the digital nuisance. All he did was put it to sleep for five more minutes. He picked up the upper part of his body and blinked a few times to clear up his vision. The morning sun shone through his closed windows, making his eyes hurt.

He looked over at the clock and mentally cursed. It was eight o'clock, school started at eight thirty. His secondary alarm had gone off. Iriamu quickly jumped out of bed, but his foot got tangled in his blankets and he found himself heading face first into the ground.

Iriamu moaned as he rubbed his forehead. Pulling himself up, he looked in the apartment's mirror. A small trickle of blood flowed down his forehead. Iriamu cursed.

He walked over to the apartment's bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet, pulling out a band aid. He carefully applied it and beheld his handiwork. "Not exactly the manliest thing but it'll do." He thought to himself as he left the bathroom and entered his one man apartment.

He liked living by himself, though it was strange having to cook dinner, or this case, ramen, for yourself every night. A simple one person bed stood in the middle of the room, with an older flat screen from like twenty ten and a small desk stood next to the window which held his "school" or in his case, gaming, laptop.

Iriamu quickly opened a box of cereal and poured its contents into a plastic bowl before he began to eat them dry.

As he sat at his desk, Iriamu quickly ate as he tried to remember if he had any dreams. Though all Iriamu remembered was that his dreams were strange, and he couldn't remember detail. It was the same with almost every dream he had.

Finishing the last bit of his breakfast, he looked at the time. Eight ten. It took him about ten minutes to walk to school, so he could pull this off.

Iriamu quickly threw away the bowl and walked into tiny closet. Inside held most of his clothes and a two empty suitcases, though he wasn't concerned about those. What he needed was his school uniform.

It was simple enough, a dark blue jacket, white shirt, red tie, and a dark pair of dark blue dress pants. He quickly yanked them off the plastic hanger and went to work changing into them.

He than looked in the mirror and spent five minutes making sure his hair was combed yet messy, the style in which he called "casual".

Once he was happy with his appearance, he quickly brushed his teeth and packed up his laptop before setting out at eight twenty. He had ten minutes.

Iriamu sprinted out of the apartment building's parking lot, his computer bag clamped strong in his right hand. By this point, Iriamu was mostly familiar with his way to the school, but he was still nervous he'd get lost.

After a few twist and turns, Iriamu found himself remembering his days in SAO, running through fields and forest, and just having a purpose. He smiled, but quickly frowned as he almost ran past his turn.

He finally stopped in front of the school, with a minute to spare before class began. By now, his breathing was already heavy and his face was slick with sweat. Iriamu sprinted into the school and quickly changed shoes before sprinting to his classroom on the second floor.

 _Ring!_

Iriamu slammed open the door to his class right as the bell rang, signalling class starting. Everyone's eyes turned to him as his chest heaved. "I...made it." Iriamu assured to his teacher, Hirasawa-sensei. She nodded and checked off his name.

He shuffled over to his desk, which was at the back of the room near the door, and collapsed, exhaustion taking over.

He pulled out his laptop as the teacher instructed and began to take notes.

(Line Braaaaek)

 _February 14th, 2025_

 _Nishitokyo, Tokyo_ _, Japan_

Iriamu groaned as his stomach growled. Because he had woken up late, he had forgotten to make himself a lunch and he had no money on him to buy from the cafeteria.

It was already midday and not one person had offered Iriamu chocolate either, which only irritated his hunger even more. "Where's Yoko-chan…" Iriamu groaned as he rested his chin on his desk.

His face lit up with joy as a certain white haired girl walked in, her walking a bit strange due to the "new legs" she had gotten. She also seemed more... _childish_ after she had decided to not cut her hair and proceeded to tie it in twin tails, which Iriamu found rather attractive. She smiled at the sight of him and walked, or sort of waddled, over to him. "Yo, can I have some of your lunch?" Iriamu asked.

Yoko acted as if she had just seen someone below her order her to do something. "That's no way to greet your girlfriend." She acted as if she was teacher. Iriamu groaned. "Yoko-chan, I forgot to make lunch and I have no money…" He complained.

She chuckled as she pulled up a chair and sat across from him. "Fine fine, I'll let you have some of mine, Uma." Iriamu's head perked up. He smiled and greedily rubbed his hands together. "But first, you have to eat these." She reached into the tiny bag she had been carrying at her side and pulled out a small box wrapped in a ribbon.

"Are those for me?" Iriamu asked as he took the box from the girl. "No, they're for the teacher." She answered back sarcastically. "Oh…" Iriamu began to act down. Yoko tsked. "Yes they're for you, now open it."

He did just that. Inside the box, Iriamu didn't find chocolate, but something better. Peanut butter bars. He immediately felt his mouth overflow with saliva at the nutty bars. "Yoko-chan, you know me too well."

Iriamu reached into the box and pulled out a bar before he set it in his mouth. While Iriamu didn't mind chocolates, peanut butter would always have a place in his heart. Has he chewed on the bar, Iriamu's mind went blank with euphoria. He swallowed and grinned at the girl, who was looking at him smiling.

"Thanks. How'd you know I love Peanut Butter?" Iriamu asked as he took a bite out of another bar. "You always order nutty deserts." So the two began to talk about this and that. Right before lunch ended, Yoko grabbed her stuff and left to head back to her class.

Iriamu quickly ate one more bar before stashing it in his bag.

(Line Break of I have no Girl Friend)

 _February 14th, 2025_

 _Nishitokyo, Tokyo_ _, Japan_

Iriamu hefted his bag over his shoulder as he prepared to leave the school. He walked out of the main entrance and into the late afternoon light.

He began to walk, though almost fell over as he felt a weight grab his free arm. He looked down to see Yoko gripping onto him.

It was weird to see her so short. During his time in SAO, Iriamu in the real world had grown a few more centimeters to the point where he was at one hundred and eighty centimeters tall. Yoko on the other hand had only grown to a height of one hundred and fifty two centimeters, so basically, Iriamu towered over her and most of the people in Japan.

"Oi, why do you have to be so tall." Yoko immediately complained. "I'm not that tall." He responded as he continued to walk out of the school yard. Yoko had changed so much since he had first met the shy girl, now she was more happy and outgoing, which Iriamu didn't mind.

"And hey, I like short girls." He added on, which he could tell made Yoko blush. Iriamu smiled as the two walked down the slightly crowded street, Yoko's arm intertwined with his. "So what are we going to do today?" Yoko finally asked.

"I don't know, I was planning to go home and relax or something." He answered. "Idiot." Yoko responded almost instantly with a punch on the arm. "It's Valentine's Day! We're going on a date." She added on.

"And who's paying for said date?" Yoko chuckled as if he should've known the answer. "You of course." Iriamu sighed. "Fine, but let me go home first and get dressed into something nice." Yoko nodded and let go of his arm.

'Meet me nineteen o'clock **(7pm)**." Yoko said before turning around and walking away. "That's only in an hour." Iriamu complained to himself.

(osngiuwbLine iosniugnBreak)

 _February 14th, 2025_

 _Nishitokyo, Tokyo_ _, Japan_

Iriamu fidgeted with his suits tie. This was only the second time he had ever worn this suit so it was in pretty good condition.

It was simple, black jacket, black pants, white shirt, and a blue tie. The reason for him getting dressed up was since Yoko wanted a date, he'd give her date at the most expensive place he could afford with twenty two thousand, five hundred Yen. **(200 USD give or take)**.

He waited outside of Yoko's apartment as he heard her rushing through it to make sure she was ready. After five more minutes of waiting, she finally opened the door, wearing a casual clothes.

"Um… Uma? Why are you in a suit?" She asked nervous. "You want a date, I'll give you a date." Iriamu responded.

Yoko sighed with annoyance and ushered him into her apartment. "Give me ten minutes to get ready."

He nodded and sat on her bed. Besides the room having more girly stuff in it, it was an exact copy of his room.

So Iriamu waited, and waited, and waited for what felt longer than ten minutes, until Yoko finally came out of the bathroom. Iriamu felt his face heat up at the sight of her.

She wore a simple blue dress which went to her knees and had two straps that went over the shoulder. Her lips were bright red, making it obvious she was wearing lipstick, which contrasted with her pale skin. Her straight white hair fell down to the area between the small of her back and rear end. Her bangs were carefully feathered and were swept across her forehead. While she wasn't particularly impressive in the chest area, Iriamu still thought that she was… "Beautiful…" He said aloud quietly.

Her face lit up and she became angry. "Don't say such weird stuff!" Iriamu chuckled and he rose off of her bed. "Let's get going."

Yoko nodded and she walked up to her door. The two left the apartment and began to walk down the crowded streets of late night Japan. "Do you have an idea where we're going?" Yoko asked, her arm intertwined with his. Iriamu nodded. Yoko grinned as she snuggled up onto Iriamu's side.

As he walked, Iriamu kept a look out for the place he planned to eat. It was quite famous for its luxuries and thankfully, you didn't _need_ a reservation to get in.

Before he knew it, Iriamu was standing in a crowded building, a long line of people in front of him. He sighed. "Look's like we'll be waiting for sometime."

"Hey, is that Uma?" Iriamu flinched after hearing his old SAO name and looked around for the speaker. He spotted a familiar face walking towards him. "Klein?" Iriamu asked surprised. "What are you doing here?" The bandanna wearing man chuckled and rubbed the back of his head.

"I work here and I didn't have anyone to spend…" He trailed off. Though his sadness was quickly washed away when he clapped his hands and said "What are you two standing in this line for, come on, I'll get you two a table!" Immediately, a cry of protest came from behind Iriamu. "Ah, you guys be quiet, he's reserved!" Klein cried back before ushering Yoko and him away from the line and into the restaurant.

Iriamu looked around and soon found his face red. All throughout the restaurant were couples, each of them either sitting next to each other and laughing or having their faces connected. Klein soon pushed them into a booth in the back of the restaurant and muttered under his breath 'All those people being all lovey dovey…" He coughed. "Anyways, I'll give you guys time to order and such." Klein walked away, his suit untucked in the back giving him a duck tail.

Iriamu sat awkwardly across from Yoko, his right leg bouncing. "So uh…" He began. "You look beautiful." Yoko flushed slightly. "Though what am I saying, you always look beautiful." Iriamu mentally face palmed. "Is that the best you can do?" Yoko answered back. "Well…" He slumped. "Yes…"

Yoko giggled and Iriamu felt his face heat up again. Then Irimau thought of a conversation. "Yoko-chan, what exactly made you end up liking me?" He asked. Yoko chuckled nervously and looked away for a second. "Well...I don't know exactly…" Yoko coughed and looked at Iriamu again. 'What is it you like about me?"

Iriamu thought, which he didn't need to for long. "I like the fact that you like me, I like your the beautiful color of your hair, I like your eyes, I like everything about you." He smiled as Yoko's face flushed.

"Do you guys know what you're getting now?" Klein asked as he walked up to the table, startling Iriamu. "Um… yeah." Iriamu and Yoko each ordered their food and continued to talk. Sometimes they talked about school, or maybe how each other's family was.

Has the hours wore on, Iriamu found the awkwardness between the two of them fade away. Soon enough though, Klein came and handed them their bill. "Nine thousand two hundred Yen?!" Iriamu cried in despair. Klein nodded. Iriamu slowly pulled out the required amount of money and handed it Klein. He tugged on the money, but Iriamu couldn't bring himself to let go. Finally, after a few tugs, Klein pulled out the money and bade them a good night.

Besides his sadness, Iriamu yawned and asked "Shall we get going?" Yoko nodded and the two got up from the booth. Iriamu led her out of the restaurant and into the crowded streets of Japan.

As the two walked, Yoko slipped her into Iriamu's, though he was too tired to care. As they walked past a store, he caught a glimpse of a clock. 22:36.

Finally, Iriamu found himself holding hands with Yoko outside of her apartment door. He let go of her hand and looked at the girl. "Good night, I should get going to my apartment too." Yoko nodded and as Iriamu turned to leave, he felt Yoko grab onto his arm. He looked at her, but she was looking away, her face flustered. "C-can you stay the night with me…" Iriamu felt his face heat up for about the twentieth time that night. "Yoko-chan…" Iriamu turned and hugged the girl. "Of course."

Then Yoko did something he didn't expect. She looked up and lightly kissed him. Now Iriamu was no stranger to be kissed, but this was probably the first time in real life.

"What I love about you is your personality. I love the fact that you're willing to sacrifice a lot just to help me. You're willing to help not just me, but anyone in need."

The rest of the night was a blur of Iriamu. All he remembered was lying in Yoko's bed and sleeping with her. Not in that way. Though, he could say he had an awesome Valentine's Day with Yoko.

 **A/N We're done. Also, THEY DID NOT GET IT ON! Can't my characters just have an intimate moment together? I know, I know, WHY ANOTHER FILLER CHAPTER! The reason why is because I'm having trouble planning out the next chapter. Too many factors I have to consider. I already have a thousand words done, I plan though for them to finish the quest and move on to the next major part of Uma's story. I also apologize for spoiling the fact that Yoko and Uma get back together, though won't happen for a LONG LONG time. By long, I mean 2024 for long. Some of you may be asking about Keiko, don't worry about her. Trust me. Now, time to answer some reviews.**

 **Sherlock D Holmes- Nice names by the way for Keiko's old guild. I especially lost it at the Porn name for Pom.**

 **Please follow and favorite this shit, become a Desu today *Theme song plays aka Don't Stop Believing***


	58. Chapter 55

_**Chapter 55-The Cyclops Smith**_

 _Umairi and Keiko soon stepped into the hallway, ready for whatever would come at them._

* * *

 _March 2nd, 2023_

 _Floor 1_

Umairi kicked away the giant rat creature, his mind felt thick from exhaustion and his arms weak. After have entering the cave, Keiko and him had been constantly attacked some sort of rat creature that stood at the same height as a human.

If it was just one or two, Umairi could handle that, but he was pretty sure that he alone had killed over a hundred. They've had to have been fighting for over an hour, because his brain was exhausted.

"Keiko!" Umairi called behind him, making sure his companion was okay. "Yes?" She called back, she was out of breath too. He scowled, they needed to find that Adamantine, and they needed to find it fast.

"Keiko! Another one is coming!" Umairi got back into his battle stance and prepared the fend off the rat creature. As it neared, its red eyes gleamed, as if looking for the fastest way to kill him. It soon charged and Umairi raised his sword for a horizontal strike.

The blade contacted, taking out a chunk of its health bar, and causing it to fall back. By this point, he and Keiko were back to back, each fighting off their own monster.

His rat soon charged back in, in which Umairi quickly beheaded and he turned to help Keiko finish off her monster.

Umairi and Keiko soon stood next to each other, breathing heavily. Even though they couldn't feel pain, Umairi could tell he'd have stopped fighting a lot longer ago. Umairi was almost throw off balance as he felt Keiko lean her weight onto him. She looked tired, her head was sagging.

"Keiko, come on, just a little longer." Umairi ordered as he helped her stand back up again.

Umairi jumped as he heard the sound of more rats coming, which prompted him to get ready. "Come on Keiko!" Umairi cried as he spotted the monster. But this monster was different.

It looked like the other rats before, but this one was bigger, _much_ bigger.

And it wore armor, full body armor. Great. It seemed to be alone, which made Umairi happy beyond belief. Though, his happiness was cut short by the massive rats high pitched scream.

Umairi quickly brought his sword up as he spotted the beast charge, its front teeth gleaming.

Keiko and him both jumped aside his it ran past, the sharp edges of its armor missing Umairi's leg by a hair.

He quickly rolled across the ground before shooting back up to a standing position. Umairi looked at Keiko who was having difficulty standing, and he wasn't the only one who could tell she was.

The rat turned around sharply and began to charge at her. Umairi sprinted as fast as he could in hopes of intercepting the beast. Umairi saw Keiko realize what was happening and she quickly rolled across the ground, barely missing the armored rodent.

Umairi quickly skid to a stop in front of Keiko and helped her up. "I...I almost died again." Keiko seemed shocked. "Don't dwell on it." Umairi ordered before he saw the rodent charge back. This time though, as the rat ran past, Umairi shot a sword skill into its side, bringing down its health.

It squeaked with rage and began to go faster, but Umairi's sword wasn't budging. He helplessly was being pulled along by the monster, its body squirming, trying to get him off. Though he didn't budge.

He bet if he were playing this game for fun and not for survival, he would be laughing, but this wasn't funny. Each time he hit the ground, his health would drop quite a bit, and he was hitting the ground a lot.

Soon, he was forced to let go, not by his own free will though. With the sound of glass shattering, Umairi felt his only hand grip fall apart in his grasp, and he soon found himself skidding to a stop on his face.

Umairi cursed as he kicked himself up off the ground. "Keiko! Take over for me!" Umairi yelled as he backpedaled away from the creature.

* * *

 _March 2nd, 2023_

 _Floor 1_

Keiko ran after the armored monster. She knew it was stupid to fight this thing head on, but she needed to give Uma time. Bringing her sword up, she charged a vertical sword skill.

The sword whistled its way down toward the monster, yet for a split second, it changed. With a rain of blue pixels, it shattered. "What…" Keiko said under her breath. "Good one Keiko." A familiar voice said. She quickly turned around. 'H-Haruto!?"

Next to him stood a short girl with short white hair, and she was smiling. "Yoko?" Keiko became extremely confused…

…

"Keiko…"

"Keiko!" Keiko soon found herself returning to her senses, which was just her being shoved down. Keiko soon focused on Uma, who had pushed her out of the way of the charging monster. Once the creature had past, Uma looked at her, worry in his eyes.

"What was that about? You just stopped moving mid swing." "I-I don't know." The worry in his eyes changed to sternness. "Don't let it happen again." She nodded

Keiko quickly pulled herself up. "Why was this happening now?" She thought to herself. She knew what she saw wasn't real, yet it felt like it was.

She watched as Uma advanced on the monster, his final sword in hand. The rat's health was already pretty low, so just a few more hits, and Uma would've defeated it. The next few moments were a blur for her.

Uma swung his sword a few more times, and the creature fought a few more times. With the sound of glass, the rat finally died. "Haha!" Uma cheered as he walked back over to Keiko.

"Let's get-" He began before his face said he was worried. "Are you alright, Keiko?"

She nodded, though she wasn't paying attention.

Then, for one reason or another, Keiko remembered New Years. It felt so long ago, but what she had done hit her like a train again.

"I-I didn't mean it like…" Keiko began. She had hurt Yoko because of the fact she liked Uma. Keiko cared for Yoko, since she reminded her of Spirite, but still, she couldn't help but resent her.

Keiko's eyes felt wet as tears started to spill over.

"Keiko." Uma stated nervously. "Are you okay?" Keiko hadn't realized how much of a jerk she had been to Yoko, since she didn't know how to convey her emotions to her properly.

Keiko returned to the real word. Uma was in front of him, he looked worried, nervous, scared. "Keiko-" He began before she cut him off by wrapping him in a hug. And she sobbed. Uma didn't resist, he just rubbed her back and let her cry on his shoulder, which made Keiko grateful.

* * *

 _March 2nd, 2023_

 _Floor 1_

Umairi nervously patted Keiko's back. He couldn't understand what she was saying as she cried on his shoulder, or why she was crying in the first place, but he did pick up "Sorry." and the name "Yoko."

He tried to not let it bother him. After about five minutes, Keiko pushed off of him and she wiped her eyes. "After this," She began to say between sniffles "I want to see Yoko." Umairi was confused. "Why do you want to see her?" He asked. "There are somethings I need to finish." She responded. Umairi shrugged, he felt like he would find out soon enough, and besides, he didn't want to get distracted.

So the two continued into the dark, dingy cave, thankfully not encountering any more of those giant rat things.

Umairi soon felt something in his hand, and he saw that Keiko had taken his hand again. He smiled at her and he continued down the rock hall way. In the distance, he could hear the clang of metal, and the sounds of walking, which Umairi had a good guess on what was making the noise. The cyclopes.

As the two went on, they soon heard the sound banging metal get closer, until it practically hurt Umairi's head. Umairi and Keiko soon emerged into a giant chamber. It was massive, at least kilometer wide, and it was even taller.

In the middle stood an anvil twice the height of Umairi and on it rested a sword being hammered on by its owner. The cyclops stood at a massive ten meters, he wore nothing but an apron and elbow high gloves.

It turned around a quickly stuck the sword into a massive furnace behind it and let go of the blade before turning to his right and pulling on a chain pulley system. With the sound of gears turning, a massive metal pot came into view over the furnace where it poured a torrent of reddish orange liquid into it. Lava.

What did they do from here, did they attack it? Umairi stepped forward, which probably wasn't the best idea, and said. "Hello." The Cyclops simply ignored them and pulled out the massive sword from the furnace and began to hammer it again which practically shook the room.

Umairi clenched his teeth as he waiting for the banging to stop. The cyclops made a grunt and turned around again. "Uh...Hello?" Umairi said again, a little louder this time.

"Stop bothering me and let me do my work." A voice so deep that it shook the floor responded. "But we're here-" "On a quest, yes. When do people ever come see me without wanting something from me."

Umairi didn't know what to say to that. "Let me guess, you want Celestial Bronze? Or maybe Stalinium?" Umairi coughed and responded "Adamantine." His voice sounding puny to him. The cyclops roared with laughter so hard that he dropped his sword and Umairi felt he was going to black out from the vibrations.

"Do you not know the powers you're dealing with? That is the rarest of them all." The cyclops grunted and picked up the sword he had dropped and continued to heat it. "I need a sword though," Umairi began. "I want to be able to fight with a reliable weapon." The cyclops chuckled this time. 'Don't we all."

Umairi looked at Keiko for support but the face she made said she didn't know. The cyclops sighed. "How about this, I've been wanting to have a good fight in a long time. If you and your friend there can best me in combat, I'll get you what you need."

Umairi spoke up. "And if we lose?" The cyclops chuckled again. "You won't have to worry about needing a new weapon." Umairi gulped. "Wait, if we beat you, then how will we get the metal thingy?" Keiko asked from behind Umairi. "I'll have one of my apprentices get it for you."

Umairi sternly nodded. "Let's do this then." The cyclops took out the bright red sword and said "To make things fair, I'll let you do any tactic to beat me." before setting the sword into a massive bucket of water.

He turned around and faced the two people, his one brown eye looking down on the two. Umairi gulped but he took out his sword, his last sword, and stood at the ready.

"What's the plan?" Umairi asked Keiko. "I don't know, aren't you the leader?" "Touché." Umairi responded. "I guess just hit it until it dies." Keiko sighed. "Very original plan."

Umairi began to walk forward. "It's all have we for now." Keiko didn't respond and followed. Once they were a certain distance near the cyclops, the words _Cyclops Smith_ appeared over its head and eight health bars appeared. "Eight bars!" Umairi cried in despair. "Uma, are you sure this is the best idea?" Keiko nervously asked.

"No point in pussying out now." Umairi quickly looked the cyclops up and down, looking for any weak spots. His skin looked to be tough, though he looked to have weak spots in the arm pits, back of the neck, and the under side of the chin. "Aim for the armpits, neck, and under its chin. I go right, you go left." Umairi immediately ordered as he sprinted to his right, Keiko quickly comprehending what he said and running in the other direction.

The cyclops swung into action, he pulled out the sword, but instead of being heated metal, it was a silver blade that gleamed in the firelight of the furnace. The blade was about a meter thick in some areas. The cyclops obviously saw Umairi as the bigger threat and it swung down the sword in his path.

Umairi jumped over it, though the cyclops was smarter than that. It picked up the sword, striking Umairi right between the area his legs, where they were sprawled out from jumping. Now if this were real, he would've hated to be alive then, thankfully though, it only threw him off balance.

Umairi stumbled to the ground and attempted to jump up and recover. The cyclops picked up the blade and swung it horizontally, which forced Umairi to duck back down, missing the blade by a hair.

The cyclops soon yelled in annoyance as Keiko made her mark on the monster's back. It swung around in an attempt to get rid of his companion, bad idea. Umairi rose up and began to sprint back into the battle, pulling his sword back, a sword skill charging in.

He released the skill and jumped, letting the system assist pull him along. The sword made contact with side of the cyclop's gut and before it could react, he released another skill, a slash, into its back.

The cyclops was now infuriated. It swung in a full three sixty, swing Umairi off and almost hitting Keiko. As he fell, Umairi dared a glance at its health. Only a quarter gone of the first bar. Umairi groaned and cursed at the same time. How did he always end up fighting the difficult bosses.

Umairi stuck the landing and ran back towards the boss in hopes of staying as close to him as possible. If Umairi stayed close, the cyclops would have a harder time hitting him. It's the same concept of 'Why bring a sniper for a close quarter fight?'

"Keiko! Stay close to it! It'll have trouble hitting you!" Umairi ordered as he side stepped, almost getting stomped on by a massive foot. Umairi didn't risk striking at the cyclops thick skinned legs, for he needed this sword to last till the end of the fight.

Umairi did a quick spin and a sidestep to avoid its deadly feet as the cyclops bellowed with rage. "Why you little…" Umairi spotted a weakness. The area behind the knee was a lighter tone than the rest of the skin. Umairi swung his sword down in a vertical and left a pixilated gash on the backside of its knee.

The cyclops cried in anger as it raised its foot up and brought it down like one would kick a soccer ball. This was Umairi mistake however since he didn't pay attention.

He went flying and skidding across the dark grey floor of the room, losing a little health every time he hit a bump or a rock that jutted out of the ground. Umairi shook his head as he attempted to get back up again, his balance off. His hands were spewing red pixels from the little gashes he had received in the skid and his health was down by about a quarter.

The battle healing kicked into effect as his health slowly rose again. Umairi looked at Keiko who was running towards him. "No! Keiko! Keep it distracted, I'm fine!" Umairi yelled as he found his sword nearby and picked it up.

Keiko seemed angered by the order, but she did it anyways. Umairi soon followed her back towards the cyclops. The good thing about being the build he was, was that he could take a lot of hits but at the same time move fast. Of course though, that meant he had to make sacrifices in strength, while at the same time, he was nowhere near as fast as normal speed builds.

That's why in this particular situation, Umairi was glad to be a speed build, for if he were a heavy, he would most likely be dead, for if he were a heavy build, he wouldn't be able to avoid the cyclop's attacks and if he used a shield, it'd probably not hold up for long.

Once he reached the cyclops again, Umairi charged his favorite sword skill, a Horizontal, and sprinted as fast as he could into the area where its legs were. Umairi threw the skill in the same weak spot he had seen and skid out from the area before turned and preparing to charge back in.

Though his plan was quickly destroyed as the cyclops turned and brought the sword down on Umairi. He had no time to move since he was already in mid swing of a sword skill he did the one thing he could, he redirected the slash in hopes of parrying the attack.

Umairi was half successful. His sword had successfully pushed aside the blade, causing it to hit the ground just a few centimeters to his right, but at the same time, his sword wasn't able to handle such forces hitting it, so it shattered in his grip. Umairi cursed. "You gotta-!"

The cyclops laughed so hard that the room shook. "You have no sword now, how can you ever hope to beat me!" It picked up the sword again and prepared to bring it down again.

Umairi sprinted away and called for Keiko. "Keiko! Cover me, I don't have sword!" Keiko didn't respond but she did run into his place to keep the cyclops busy.

Umairi looked around the room for anything to be of use. The only thing he saw was the anvil, which would be to heavy to be of use. The furnace was open but the light inside was dim. "We can roast him to death." Umairi thought. Roast...an idea popped into Umairi's head. He looked up at the big metal bucket thing that hung from the roof.

If only he could find a way to drop it on the cyclops, he looked around and spotted the chain. It looked to work like a pulley, so if he were to cut one side of the chain off, the other would get pulled up and cause the lava to be poured on him, and if that did nothing to injure it, the metal bucket would.

Now the only problem was how to cut it. Wait, Umairi had the martial skill. If he could cut through a whole rock, a simple chain would be easy. "Remind to thank Argo for getting me that quest." Umairi thought to himself.

Umairi sprinted to the wall and began to make his way towards the chain, though there was one problem, it was to high for Umairi to reach.

Once he was at the base of the massive pulley system, Umairi went to work climbing up the uneven rock face. It only took Umairi a minute to get in reach of the chain.

He turned around slightly so he could talk Keiko. "Keiko! Bring him near the furnace! I have a plan!" He ordered by yelling as loud as he could. Keiko didn't respond but he could see her leading the cyclops near the furnace.

He got to work, repeatedly punching the chain. Soon, the specific chain he was hitting began to waver in and out of existence, and then with the sound of glass breaking, disappeared.

Everything that happened next seemed to last for over an hour to Umairi. The chain gave way and sling shotted up while at the same time, the right support for metal bucket became slack and caused one side to drop, but the force was more than was safe so the bucket hit the rim of the surface and poured the contents onto the cyclops, Umairi barely was able to see Keiko running away but safe.

The cyclops roared with laughter. "I am a cyclops! Fire is my friend, not my foe!" Though it wouldn't be laughing for long as the other chain gave out and the whole five ton metal bucket fell over the furnace and onto the head of the cyclops.

The words Congratulations! appeared over the pile of lava. Umairi grinned and dropped down to floor level. He began to walk over to where the small figure of Keiko was visible. Once the girl spotted him walking towards her, she sprinted to him and almost threw him to the ground with the amount of force behind her hug.

"Amazing! That was amazing Uma!" Besides himself, Umairi smiled. "How did you know you could do that?" Keiko asked as he let go of Umairi. He smiled sheepishly. "I didn't. I just hope Kayaba made the game as realistic as he said it was."

Behind Keiko though, a figure appeared to start walking towards them. It wasn't as big as the Cyclops Smith but it was obviously not human. "Keiko! Behind you!" Umairi told the girl who almost immediately swung around and pulled out her sword.

"Don't worry, I was sent to bring you the Adamantine." An old man voice said. It was the cyclops from the entrance. He wore nothing but what looked to be a pair of shorts and his one blue eye looked down at the two.

He set down a massive silver rock and nodded before leaving the same way he came in. Umairi walked up to the large silver rock and felt the surface, it was obviously some kind of metal. He tapped on it and put it into his inventory.

With a grunt, he immediately felt the effect of the massive ore pile fill his inventory's last slots. "Great, now I'm even slower for a slow speed build." He complained in his mind.

Umairi looked at Keiko and said "I think it's time I get a new sword." Keiko nodded and answered "And this time, don't let it break." Umairi smiled and patted the girl on the head. "And after that, we can visit Yoko." Keiko blushed slightly and then smiled.

 **A/N We're done. Aren't you guys glad that I'm actually releasing my chapters on time? That was the whole point of S &S anyways, to become a better writer. Also, Stalinium is an inside joke among War Thunder players. Celestial Bronze is obviously from the Percy Jackson series. I've also decided to make Saturday my release days though don't put it in stone, sometimes it may get released on Sunday or even Monday.**

 **I had this chapter done on Friday, but I'd decided to wait for Saturday, and than I forgot to release it until like eight pm. GG my memory.**

 **Sherlock D Holmes- Yeah, they may be older but I'm not writing a lemon seen. I'm not bringing my beautiful story to that much of a low.**

 **ARandomGuy- I think that's like only the second time actually.**

 **Please follow and favorite this shit, become a Desu today *Theme song plays aka U &I from K-on***


	59. Chapter 56

_**SAO 56- Part Two of Long Quest**_

 _"And after that, we can visit Yoko." Keiko blushed slightly and then smiled._

 **After much struggle, I have** _ **finally**_ **found out how to put in proper line breaks.**

* * *

 _March 2nd, 2023_

 _Floor 25_

As the two companions walked down the empty street of the twenty fifth floor, Umairi decided to bring up something that had been bothering him. "Hey Keiko." Keiko responded with "Yes?"

"About that incident at the Cyclop's Smith, why did you get the sudden urge to see Yoko?" He was serious about this question, mostly curious about it, and hoping she didn't mean it. He still liked Yoko as a friend and all but he wanted to avoid the awkwardness with his ex.

Keiko chuckled nervously for a split second before straightening her back and forcing a smile. "I, uh, it's a long story." She responded in an attempt to end the conversation there, though Umairi wasn't having it.

"Oh no you don't. You're not going to make some big scene over her and then brush it off like it was nothing." Keiko chuckled nervously again before responding. "I think that story is better for another time." "Keiko. You are going to tell me what that was about." Umairi said sternly.

Keiko's presence seemed to darken. She sighed heavily then said "If you're so persistent, fine." Keiko grabbed his hand, though there was nothing romantic about it and lightly pulled him to a nearby restaurant.

Keiko set him into one of the chairs and she sat opposite to him. Umairi was now more nervous rather than persistent like before. "Um... Keiko?" The girl sighed again. The darkened presence around her turned to one of sadness. She looked out the window, the light of the setting sun illuminating her face. The two sat in quiet for a few minutes, until Umairi decided to ask the girl what this was about.

Though before he could speak, Keiko began to talk. "Uma, remember when you saved me all those months ago?" Umairi nodded slowly, his confusion rising. "Well I wasn't the only one those crooks were attempting to…" She stopped, but Umairi knew what she meant. "Actually I was part of another group of people." So Keiko began her tale from when SAO had started and she joined a group of people.

She told him of all the times she'd helped out Spirite, and when Grim would make a mistake and everyone would laugh. "But this friendship was limited." Keiko looked at Umairi, her eyes began to glaze over with tears. Keiko told him of their endeavor into the dungeon, the initial ambush, how each one was taken out slowly, and finally the death of Spirite.

By this point, tears were in full flow on Keiko's face. "So I ran, and ran, until I came upon you and your friends." She smiled and wiped her eyes. "After having seen you do such a thing for someone you didn't know, I…" She stopped talking and continued to try and stop the flow of liquids from her eyes.

Umairi was dumbstruck. He didn't know how to react. "Keiko…" The confusion Umairi felt soon turned into a caring for the girl. "Why did you never tell me this before?" Keiko sniffled and responded "I thought maybe if I never mentioned it, I would forget about it."

He felt sorry for Keiko, she had already been through so much without him even realizing it. Umairi rose out of the chair and looked down at the girl. "Let's get going, once we finish this quest, we can go see Yoko." Keiko nodded and rose from her chair as well.

* * *

Umairi held the door open for Keiko as she walked in and closed it behind him. Standing behind the counter was the old man from before, he was sitting in a chair while polishing a generic looking dagger.

Umairi walked up to him and stated with confidence. "We got the metal." The old man looked up and grinned slightly. "Oh good." He stood from chair and placed the weapon down. "Come, come, we have much to discuss." Umairi made his way behind the counter and followed the old man into his smith.

Once in, Umairi found that the place looked the same, cluttered, and yet the old smith navigated it with ease. At a table in the back laid about a dozen of old rusted swords and daggers, all next to each other and spaced evenly. The old man stopped and waiting for Keiko and him. Once the two beheld the rusted weapons, he began to talk. "While you two were gone, I spent time evaluating these beauties when I realized, I wouldn't be able to fix them. They're too gone."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, now, are you saying there was no reason for us to bring you the metal?" Umairi was becoming nervous. The old man raised a hand. "Ah, I never said that." He coughed and continued. "So I fired up my old forge and began to think, maybe I can make a new, better sword."

Umairi nodded slowly, grasping on to what he meant. "Are you saying you'll make me a new sword?" "Precisely. I am worried though that I might've lost a lot of my skill." The three stood in silence for half a minute before the old man began to speak. "But anyways, I went into town and went to work buying the required materials, but I found, to my dismay, they were lacking quite a bit of what I needed."

"And what was that?" Umairi asked. "Oh, some minor things, leather from an ox, some igneous rock, rubies from a dragon…" The old man made sure to say the last part quickly. "What was that last part?" Keiko asked confused. "Nothing important. Anyways, do you accept?" The yellow question mark stating the start of another quest appeared above his head.

Umairi sighed and turned to his companion. "Do you think you can wait for Yoko?" Keiko nodded. "Yeah." "Okay, we accept." Umairi stated to the the smith. "Great, good luck then." With a ping, the requirements needed for the quest popped up on Umairi's HUD.

 _A New Weapon_

 _Gather the rest of the materials so the smith can craft a new sword_

 _1: Gather leather from Oxen on the second floor_

 _2: Gather Igneous Rock from the volcano on the twenty fourth floor_

 _3: Gain five Rubies from the dragon boss on the Third floor in the Forest of Wavering Mist_

Umairi internally screamed. More stuff he had to do in order to get a new sword. "Now if you'd like, you can keep the Adamantine here." "Hmm? Oh yeah, sure." Umairi opened his menu. With the sound of millions of glass panes breaking, the massive piece of metal materialized into existence, crushing the table and a few wooden boxes nearby into a fog of blue pixels.

Umairi flinched back in hopes of avoiding damage as the giant metal lump rested atop the floor. The old man's eyes lit up. "Whoa! I can make more than just your sword with this!" The old man hungrily gleamed over the metal surface as he touched it gingerly.

Umairi and Keiko stood in awkward silence as they waiting to see if the old man would say anything else. After a while he looked up and said "Well, get on your way." Which Umairi took as a clue to leave. "Wait, can I buy a few more swords?" Umairi asked. The old man looked up and said. "Yeah, take as many as you need. On the house." Umairi was taken aback slightly.

He grabbed a few swords that laid next to a support pillar and put them into his inventory. Keiko and him left the smith alone and entered the main part of the shop.

Once outside, Umairi looked at the orange sky and back to Keiko. "I think we should wait till tomorrow before we head out." Keiko nodded and responded "I don't mind." Before she looked at Umairi and gave him a tired smile.

* * *

 _March 3rd, 2023_

 _Floor 25_

Umairi awoke with the morning sun on his head. He groaned as he brought his hands to his face and rubbed his eyes. Forcing himself to get out of bed, Umairi found himself alone. He yawned and ran his fingers through his hair as he twisted back and stretched.

He opened his inventory and went to work equipping his armor. Once he was set Umairi walked out of his room and into the warm hallway of the inn. He walked to the room next to his and knocked. "Yo Keiko, are you up?" No response. "Keiko?"

A very tired voice moaned quietly inside. "Wha…" He knocked one more time. "Keiko, can I come in?" The voice from inside made a grunting noise and responded "Yeah, sure." Umairi opened the door and closed it behind him.

The outline of Keiko was visible under the blanket. "Keiko, it's time to wake up." Umairi said as he walked next to her. The girl fidgeted and made a grunting noise. Umairi sighed and pulled the blanket off of her.

He jumped back in surprise. Keiko laid on the bed in only her underwear, her back to the ceiling. "Keiko! I'm sorry!" Umairi cried as he bowed to the ground and kept repeating the words "Sorry." As he laid bent over, he dared a glance up and saw she had pulled the blanket back over her, her face beat red. Her eyes were wet.

"H-how much did you see?" Her voice asked quietly. "Nothing! I didn't see white panties!" Umairi stuttered out. He could feel his face was warm. "It's okay, Uma, as long as it was you." Keiko said , the nervousness obvious in her voice.

Thinking he was safe, Umairi sighed and rose from the floor, only to get startled again. Keiko had thrown the blanket off, her face red as she looked away. "Keiko! We can't...I mean-" His voice faltered. How did he always end up in this kind of situation. "W-what do you think…" She asked quietly. Umairi was at a lost for words. "G-good, I guess. I mean...-I'll be outside if you need me!" Umairi said as he ran to the door of the room and let himself out.

He leaned his back on the wall and pressed his weight on his hands which rested on his knees, the form of Keiko's body imprinted in his mind. He took a few breaths and tried to forget the feeling he got when that image formed in his mind. "Girls are confusing…" Umairi muttered to himself as he stood back up. He walked back to Keiko's door and knocked. "I'm going to be in the lobby or whatever it's called. Come meet me when you're done."

No response. Umairi walked down the hall and into the lobby where the AI that ran the store quietly read a book behind his desk. Umairi walked over to the wall near the hallway and leaned his back against.

What a way to start your day. Umairi sighed again and waited. It took about ten minutes of boring standing until Keiko finally appeared around the corner. Wordlessly, the two walked out of the inn and began to walk down the empty street. "Hey, about this morning." Umairi began. "Let's just forget it happened." Keiko responded immediately. "Though I honestly didn't mind since it was you." Umairi sighed and ignored his cheeks getting warm. "Please don't say such weird things." Keiko giggled.

"So, do you have any idea where we might find this dragon thing?" Umairi shook his head. "No, I do know where we might find the other two things, but the dragon's going to present a problem."

"Can't you contact that information person?" Keiko asked. "I would, but I've never added her to my friends list." Keiko hummed then said "You might have to call that guy who usually wears black again."

"Do you mean Kirito?" Umairi asked. "Yeah, that guy." Umairi shrugged ,opened his menu, and sent a message towards Kirito.

* * *

Kirito's eyebrow twitched as he waited for Keiko to finish the story. "You guys can't always rely on me to get to Argo." Umairi ignored the rudeness behind his retort and responded "I'm sorry about that, but I plan to add her to my friends list this meeting."

He grunted and opened his menu. "This is the last time I do this." Umairi glanced at Keiko and he knew immediately from her face that she was thinking what he was thinking, what a jerk.

A little while later, a hooded figure walked up to the group. "You needed me, Umairi?" She asked as she opened her menu and prepared to give him what he needed.

"Yeah, apparently there is a dragon on the third floor. I also need to know what and where this igneous rock is." Argo went through a few menus before responding " Igneous Rock is a type of rock formed from cooled lava, even I knew that one without looking. Located near the minor volcano's of the twenty fourth floor. Yep, there is a dragon, it spawns in once a day in the Forest of Wavering Mist, I can give you the map details for both." Umairi nodded. "Keep in mind that it only drops a ruby per day. That'll be five thousand col."

Umairi internally flinched, his budget was becoming small at a fast pace. He opened a trading menu with her and gave Argo the required funds, while at the same time obtaining the map info. "Well if that's all I was needed for, I'll be taking my leave." Kirito sighed and left the group standing in the middle of the street. "I guess I should do the same." Argo stated as she turned and prepared to leap away.

"Wait!" Umairi was able to cry before he forgot. "Can I add you to my friends list?" Argo stopped and turned. "Why?" "So I don't have to get Mr. Grumpy over there to get you for us when we need you." Argo nodded and she quickly sent Umairi a friend request. "Thank you." Argo nodded and leaped away.

Umairi turned to Keiko and said. "The dragon only drops a ruby a day. That means we'll have to go kill it five times, which means five days." Keiko nodded. "If you don't think I can't handle it, I can." Umairi smiled and responded "I know you can."

 **A/N Sorry for the lateish chapter, I've been busy with life and such. Please follow and favorite this shit, become a desu today. *Theme song plays aka Gustav Holst's** **Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity.***


	60. Chapter 57

_**Chapter 57- Five Days of Dragon Killing**_

 _"If you don't think I can't handle it, I can." Umairi smiled and responded "I know you can."_

 **13,000 views**

 **Sorry for not posting a chapter in sometime, been working on this extremely long chapter. Also, I probably won't write for awhile after this chapter because this one drained me a lot. It took a lot of effort just to finish the last 2,000 words. I now present to you chapter 57 (or 60) of S &S!**

* * *

 _March 3rd, 2023_

 _Floor 25_

"Where do you think we should go first?" Umairi asked his female companion, Keiko. "We can either get the easier stuff out of the way or go fight that dragon first." She pondered his request. "My parents used to say it was easier to get the harder stuff out of the way." Umairi shrugged. "I guess that settles it."

Umairi had no problem with it her response, though he was nervous from the fact that they had to beat a dragon five times. He'd fought some difficult things before in this stupid death game, but he didn't know if he was prepared to jump this hurdle. He pushed his doubts to the back of his mind as Keiko and him walked into the teleportation gates.

He felt the familiar feeling of teleporting floors kick in and soon beheld the thick forest of the third floor. While he had visited the floor on more than one occasion, he hadn't thoroughly been through the floor and only heard whispers about what lay in the mist. Barely above the canopy of the tree tops, Umairi could see their destination.

"Do you want to get an inn first?" Umairi questioned. Keiko shook her head no. "No, I think we'll be fine, and besides, not many people are here so we won't need to rush to get a room at an inn."

Umairi nodded and opened his map. "From the looks of it, the dragon can be found somewhere in the middle of the giant mist thing in what looks to be an indent in the ground." Umairi concluded as he closed his menu and began to walk.

Once out of the town, Umairi led the way through the dense forest, making sure to keep himself on alert and occasionally checking the map to make sure they were going the right direction. The further they seemed to get into the forest, the harder Umairi found it to keep track of time, the dense canopy seemed to make the sky grey. "Keiko, watch our back." Umairi soon ordered, his paranoia was kill him.

They knew they had reached the Forest of Wavering Mist when Umairi slowed down before a massive wall of fog. It extended to canopy of the trees and was so dense, he could only see about a meter in front of him. Umairi gulped and shook his head slightly before marching into the wall of low flying clouds.

"Keiko, stay near me, you don't want to get lost." Umairi opened his map again to double check where they were going. He cursed. They were off. "What?" Keiko asked as she walked next to him and peered over his shoulder. "The dragon is here." He pointed to where the dragon was. "And we're here. We have to take the long way and practically walk around the whole forest, or we can walk through the forest."

Keiko raised an eyebrow. "Why don't we just go through then?" She obviously didn't understand. "This is SAO, not real life, there are probably mountains of enemies in those forest, and if we get separated…" He slid his finger over his throat for emphasis. "Though, by going through, it could save us over four hours of walking."

They both seemed to agree without saying anything. "Through the forest it is." Umairi and Keiko concluded in sync, Umairi closing his menu soon after. He stook out his hand to the girl and said "Don't wanna get seperated now." Keiko flushed slightly before she took his hand and Umairi led their way into the forest.

The forest was extremely dense, the fog wasn't helping one bit. He could barely see Keiko who was an arm's length away. How did he expect to fight an enemy like this. He pulled out his back up sword and ordered Keiko to do the same. He was pretty sure they were the strangest looking front liners at that point. They were not even at the front lines, walking through thick fog, through thick forest, holding hands, with the leader holding the most generic sword in game.

Umairi quickly spun to his right, he had seen something move. "Um...Uma?" Umairi let go of Keiko's hand and put his finger to his mouth. "I saw something." Umairi squinted and looked around for anymore movement. In a flash of black, something jumped at him.

Instinctively, Umairi raised his sword and sent a slash at whatever it was. The creature yelped as Umairi's sword made contact, the creature leaving a pixelated red trail. Umairi attempted to see what it was, but it had gone back into the fog. "That's why we need to keep an eye out." Umairi turned slightly to face the girl and grinned to show he was okay, though he wasn't sure if she had seen it.

The two continued on their way, on more than one occasion, Umairi had to stop an attack by the unknown monsters. Keiko even fended one off, which impressed Umairi. After what felt like an hour, Umairi was beginning to lose his patience. "Maybe I should-" Umairi began before getting cut off.

Umairi began to fall face forward, his right leg stopping mid swing, probably caused by a rock. He let out a cry as he went face first into mud. He soon felt Keiko bent over him, trying to get him up. Umairi picked up himself and blinked a few times.

He looked at Keiko, whose face was red with strain. "What?" Umairi asked. After a few releases of air, Keiko burst into laughing. "Hahahahaha!" Everytime she looked at him, her spasms seemed to come back in renewed vigor. Soon, Umairi found himself grinning too.

He looked over to left and saw a pond of water, which he crawled over to and looked closely at his reflection. His entire face was caked in mud, besides his eyes and mouth, which were a stark white compared to the brown. He soon was cracking up.

Umairi was the first to recover and proceeded to wipe the mud off of his face. "Come on, we have a dragon to kill." Though they didn't need to search long for it. As Umairi got up, he made eye contact with a pair of two large red eyes. Almost immediately, his happy mood left him. "Keiko, step back very slowly." Umairi said under his breath as he began to walk backwards.

"Why?" Her voice all of a sudden seemed unnaturally loud.

Umairi barely jumped out of the way as an object whistled past his head, he turned around in time to see a spiked tail lying where he used to be. The attack had cleared the whole area of fog and Umairi finally realized what they were up against.

In the middle of the clearing stood a red dragon, each of its eyes were rubies and they gleamed down on the two. The dragon was one and a half Umas tall to the shoulder and its wings were even larger.

Umairi fumbled to grab his sword. "Keiko, same tactic as usual!" Keiko frantically crawled away and said "Which is?" "Hit it until it dies!" Umairi charged.

* * *

 _March 3rd, 2023_

 _Floor 3_

Umairi laid on the ground, his left arm was draped over his face, blocking the afternoon sun to get into eyes. The fog around the two was thick, but the rocky clearing seemed to be sheltered from the thick low clouds, making it possible for the two too see the next floor .

Next to him laid Keiko, the only noise he could hear from her was her moving around. Finally, Keiko broke the silence by saying "Well, that was hard." Umairi nodded. "And we have to do that five times?" "Yep." Keiko sighed.

Umairi sighed in response, but caught himself when he felt something soft enter his right hand. He looked to his right and saw Keiko had slipped her hand into his. Umairi's face lit up like a hot piece of metal.

Keiko chuckled slightly and she tightened her grip on his hand. Umairi took a deep breath, trying to get himself under control, which was extremely difficult.

The two laid there for about an hour before Umairi finally said "We should get going back." and rose from his position.

Umairi and Keiko made their way through the forest and back into town. Before he knew it, they both were at the entrance of an inn. After buying separate rooms, each of them made their way to their respective homestays.

Umairi sighed and rubbed his face after entering his room. "We actually have to do that four other times." He groaned. He opened his menu and unequipped all of his gear until he stood in his bare underwear. In the back of the room stood a full body mirror, which Umairi walked too.

In the mirror, Umairi beheld himself. His body had not changed at all since the beginning of this, it wasn't full blown athlete fit but it said he ran once a day, which he used to do. He leaned in and inspected his face.

His face looked almost the same, brown hair in his messy combed style and his whitish teeth, but his eyes seemed different to him. They seemed more... _old._ It kind of bothered him, but he didn't let it get to him. Besides that, he was still the same.

Umairi then began to flex his arms and stood in a bunch of weird bodybuilder positions until he was laughing to himself.

He jumped though when he heard a knock at the door. "Who is it?" Umairi inquired as he quickly opened his menu and equipped some clothes. "Keiko." He heard the speaker respond. Umairi hastily walked over to the door and opened it. "Yes?" Umairi asked through the slightly opened door.

Keiko looked away nervously. "C-can I come in?" She trailed off. Umairi grinned evilly and responded "I'm sorry, but can you repeat that?" Keiko glared back at him annoyed and said "Can I come in…?" She trailed off again.

Umairi smiled and said "Fine." while opening the door completely. Keiko quickly shuffled in and stood awkwardly in the middle of the room. Umairi dropped himself into his bed. "So, what do you need?" He asked while putting his hands behind his head. "Well, I…" She looked away nervously as her face lit up red. "I?..." Umairi continued.

"I just wanted to talk…" She stated quietly while fiddling with her hands and her pink shirt. "About?" Keiko soon became flustered and responded "Why can't you just accept the fact I wanna see you." While she puffed out her cheeks, her blonde hair falling over her shoulder at the sudden movement.

"Well if you want to talk then take a seat." Umairi gestured towards the spot next to him as he sat back up. Keiko nodded and sat next to him. The two sat in awkwardness, even Umairi's nonchalant attitude was overcome by it. Trying to act as normal as possible, Umairi asked "What do you think about _this_." He swept his hand out to show he meant everything.

"Do you mean like Sword…" She trailed off. Umairi nodded. "Well, I…" She gulped. "Met you." Umairi smiled and patted the girl's head. She then took his uplifted arm as a chance to hug him. Umairi smiled and he slowly rubbed Keiko's head.

* * *

 _March 4th, 2023_

 _Floor 3_

Umairi awoke to his eyes feeling extremely heavy and a large weight on his side. "Oi, Keiko…" Umairi asked the sleeping girl tiredly. She stirred slightly. Umairi began to poke her face. "Keiko, wake up."

Keiko fidgeted and pushed herself off of Umairi's side. She looked up and made eye contact with Umairi for a split second before her face turned beet red and she jumped out of bed. "W-wait, did we-" She started walking backwards but fell over her own feet and landed rear end first. "Whoa, Keiko, calm down." Umairi started to reassure as he jumped out of bed.

It took Umairi a full five minutes to calm the girl down. When she was finally done, Umairi rose to his full height and mumbled to himself "What a way to wake up…" Before turning to Keiko and saying "Return to your room and get dressed we leave in ten minutes." She rose obediently and ran out of his room.

Umairi sighed and quickly ran his fingers through his hair before opening his menu and putting on his gear. Once he felt he was presentable, he left the room and saw Keiko was waiting for him outside of his room.

"Little surprising seeing you ready for the day first." Umairi commented. "Oi, what's that supposed to mean, just because I'm a girl?" Umairi waved his tiredly. "No, no, no, just because I usually wait for you."

He left the inn and the two quickly stopped by a store to pick up some breakfast. Before he knew it, the two were walking down the small path in the forest nibbling on some rolls. Once they reached the point where they had to diverge into the fog, Umairi pulled out his sword. "Same as last time." He told Keiko before they entered.

As the two walked through the thick fog, Umairi began to become curious from the lack of monster they encountered. After some time, they were almost to their destination, but still not a single monster attack. They would soon find out why.

"Wait…" Umairi stopped and put out a hand signalling Keiko to stop. He could hear something, a sound he was all too familiar with. "Someone's up ahead." Umairi quickly concluded before picking up pace. His prediction was correct.

When the two broke into the clearing, the dragon was busy fighting obvious players, or in this case, _player_. The lone fighter was quickly turning and twisting around the dragon's claws, the dragon not as lucky in dodging the attacks. "Oh no you don't that's our dragon!" Umairi heard Keiko cry as she ran forward, her sword out.

"Wait, Keiko." Umairi began but he was already too late, Keiko had dove into the fray. As she attack the dragon, she would commonly push away the unknown player, which he stated his displeasure with.

Umairi took a deep breath and ran into the battle as well. Him and Keiko began to switch in and out, taking out a good chunk of its health. The unknown player, obviously not happy with them interfering, ran in and began to whittle down the dragon, which forced Umairi and Keiko to back off.

In the split second the player was out to recover though, Keiko ran in, Umairi behind her, and the two began their attack. Luckily, they had gotten in with the dragon on low health and Keiko cheered as she delivered the final blow. Umairi smiled and congratulated the girl on the victory.

"Good game." Umairi looked behind him and saw the player from before, his hand extended. Umairi turned with a smile and took the hand. "Sorry about taking the kill, but we need this for a quest."

Now that they were face to face, Umairi got a good look of the new person. His blonde hair was straight and short and his eyes were a light blue _._ The player was obviously not Japanese and he stood half a head taller than Umairi. "Name's Zdus." Umairi raised an eyebrow, he had a very strange accent behind his talking, even though it was obvious he was fluent in Japanese. Umairi asked "Zdoos?" Zdus shook his head. "I'd have you call me by my real name, Zdzislaw, but you probably can't pronounce it."

Umairi stared blankly at him. "Where exactly are you from?" Zdus chuckled and responded "I'm from Lithuania." "Lithoonia? I've never heard of that country..." Zdus laughed and answered "Not many people have. It's located just north of Poland."

Umairi let go of his hand. "Poland? All I know about that place is that it was invaded in the nineteen forties." Zdus nodded. "Well...anyways, I'm Umairi." Zdus nodded his head again and said "Nice to meet you, Umairi."

"And this is Keiko, she's my…" Umairi hesitated for a split second before saying "My girlfriend."

Zdus gave them a strange look, as if he knew there was something more then that. "Sorry about that though," Umairi began. "How about we get you something to eat." Zdus raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?" Umairi chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "To say sorry I guess."

Zdus shrugged. "I'm not against free food."

* * *

 _March 4th, 2023_

 _Floor 3_

"So uh...Zdus, how did you end up in SAO? And how are you fluent in Japanese?" Umairi asked as he sat across from the European. The restaurant they were in was small and cozy, but the players there were looked at the group with confused glances.

Zdus took a sip of his cup and began his story. "When I was younger, I used to be a big fan of anime and stuff, so as I went through school, I ended up taking Japanese courses." Zdus coughed and continued. "I had always wanted to live in Japan, but because I lived in such a small country, it would be hard to earn enough money to go, and I was also being forced to learn many other languages. I'm fluent in five languages as of now."

Umairi choked on his drink. "F-five?!" Zdus nodded. "Yep, Russian, Lithuanian, Polish, English, and Japanese." Umairi recovered and signaled for him to continue. "I've always wanted to visit Japan and I had a friend who lived here so after saving up for months, I finally flew over here to visit him."

"Once here, I saw he had bought the first VR game ever, SAO, so after an intense rock paper scissors game, I was the one who got to go in first." Zdus sighed and took another sip of his drink. "The rest should be pretty self explanatory."

Umairi sat back. "Well, my past isn't as interesting." "I'd like to hear." Umairi shrugged and went over his past life briefly. Zdus's eyes lit up with wonder at the tale. "I wish I had grown up like that."

Umairi raised an eyebrow. "Why?" "Because it sounds so normal and quiet." He straightened himself again. "You may not realize it, but I hate Lithuania."

Umairi was even more confused. "How does one hate their own country?" "It's so poor there, living in a second world country is horrible."

Zdus then turned to Keiko and asked "How about you, what was your past like?" Keiko jumped at the unexpected conversation. "It was...uh… normal? I guess…" She sunk into her chair."

Anxious to take the attention off Keiko, Umairi asked "So you like anime?" Zdus nodded. "Have you happened to have seen K-one then?" Zdus slammed both hands on the table, making Keiko jump.

"K-one, is the best anime ever." Umairi smiled with joy. "Finally! Someone understands! Who's your favorite character?" Zdus pointed at him and said "Azusa." Umairi was stunned. "No way, same thing here."

So the two began to talk about what anime they liked. "You must be my long lost twin or something." Zdus stated. Umairi nodded and answered "I know right? I can't believe we have seen much of the same anime."

Umairi smiled and kept on talking with Zdus, until finally he heard to his left "Um...Uma, what are you talking about?" Umairi turned to Keiko. "Do you not watch anime?" Keiko's face lit up slightly as she said "Not really…" Umairi chuckled and patted the girl on the head. "Well, it's getting late anyways." He rose out of the chair. "We'll be getting on our way."

"Wait." Zdus said as he opened his menu. Umairi looked quizzically at the European. "I'll send you a friend's request. If you don't mind, I could help you on your quest." Umairi nodded and accepted the request. "We'll think about it, have a great day." Umairi and Keiko left the table behind as Zdus waved.

Umairi walked with Keiko down the street towards their inn. "What do you think of Zdus?" Umairi soon asked. Keiko chuckled nervously and said "I-I don't know… He comes off as... _weird_ to me…"

"I like him, he seems like a cool guy, after all, we have the same waifu." Keiko shot him an angry glance. "I mean favorite female character, after all, no one could replace you." He smiled nervously. Keiko nodded and said "I love you too." But she soon realized what she said and turned red.

Once at the inn, the two went to their respective rooms. Once in his own room, Umairi began to undress. He looked up though when he heard a ping. Umairi opened the message and found it was from Zdus.

 _I also forgot to mention but,_

 _Have you seen Sakurasou?_

Umairi became excited, that was another one of his favorite animes. The two began to message each other back and forth about this and that, until the sun no longer shone outside and Umairi's eyelids were heavy.

 _I better get to bed, it's late and_

 _I leave early in the morning._

The response was almost immediate.

 _Oh come on, it's only midnight._

"Midnight?!" Umairi looked at the time to confirm if this was true, it was. He quickly said night and laid himself in his bed, ignoring Zdus's response. He usually woke up at six, so at least he would get six hours of sleep. Before he knew it, Umairi felt himself falling asleep and he welcomed it.

* * *

 _March 5th, 2023_

 _Floor 3_

Umairi groaned as he tried to ignore the knocking at his door. "What?" He snapped back finally. "Come on, Uma, it's time to wake up." He blinked a few times as he looked out of the window, the sun wasn't even up. "Keiko, why are you waking me up now, what time is it?"

"Almost five o'clock. Can I come in?" Umairi snarled. "Yeah, if you let me…" He trailed off as sleep overtook him again.

He was awoken again at the feeling of him being shook. Umairi tried his best to ignore it. "Uma, if you don't wake up I'll...I'll…" Umairi groaned as he rolled over and said "You'll what?" He opened one eye to see the girl in thought. "I'll…" Umairi nodded and under his breath said "That's what I thought..." before closing his eyes and letting sleep take him back to the depths of his mind.

But something kept him rooted to the real world. He felt something on his face, more specifically, his lips. Something soft. Umairi's eyes fluttered open as he felt Keiko kissing him. Umairi's heart beat escalated and he gasped as he felt Keiko pull away. Her face was beet red as she turned away. "Meet me outside of your room when you're ready." She walked away quickly and closed the door behind her.

Umairi sat up in the bed, his heart still beating twice as fast as normal. He gingerly touched his lips before shaking his head. Trying to forget that happened, he quickly got out of bed and got dressed.

Once armored up, he walked out of his room to see Keiko leaning on a wall. She didn't make eye contact. "I'm sorry…" She said quietly. It took Umairi some time to realize that she wasn't angry, but embarrassed. "I thought that since you weren't waking up…"

Umairi smiled, ignoring his own embarrassment, and hugged Keiko. "There, there, it's okay." He said as lovingly as possible while patting the girl on the head. He let go of her and said "You have nothing to be embarrassed about." Even though he was embarrassed himself. Keiko nodded and the two left the inn.

Once out in the early morning air, Umairi looked at Keiko and said "You still never told me why you woke me up this early." Keiko nervously smiled and said "I thought that we'd get going right when the sun got up." "Then why did you wake me when it was still night outside." Umairi said as he stifled a yawn.

"I thought that we could go get some breakfast and eat together." Umairi smiled tiredly and opened his menu. "Sure, I'll message Zdus and tell him-" Keiko grabbed his arm cutting him off. "Can it just be the two of us?" Umairi closed his menu without argument.

The two made their way to their usually dining area on that floor, only to be disappointed. "It's closed." Umairi stated sadly as he let go of the door. Nearby, Umairi spotted a store with the lights inside on. Judging, by the sign, it was a bar of some kind. "How about this place." Umairi pointed out.

Keiko shrugged and the two walked to the entrance. Umairi held the door open for Keiko and the two walked in. Umairi was beginning to question if this place was a smart idea to eat at. The walls were plaster, the paint on them was beginning to peel. The wood in some areas of the floor was scraped up and not smooth. It was mostly empty, but there were three people there.

At a table towards the back, a large man laid on the table, his snoring could be heard from across the whole room. In another corner of the room, a shady looking man sat, his face was scrawny and high cheekbones gave the man the look of someone not so lucky in life. He twirled a knife in his hand.

Umairi tried not to make eye contact when he noticed the scrawny man look up at him. The only other person there was the AI who sat behind the actual bar cleaning a glass, the kind of bartender you'd find in those police TV shows.

Umairi hesitantly sat down, Keiko next to him. The bartender gingerly set down the glass and looked at the two. "What can I get you two?" His voice seemed unnaturally loud in the empty room. "I'll get some tea and eggs." Umairi said. "I'll have water and eggs as well." Keiko added on, Umairi could tell she was nervous.

The two sat in silence as each of them kept glancing around the room. Umairi jumped when he heard a noise behind him. "Hey." Umairi turned around to see the scrawny man from the corner. "You guys are front liners." He asked, his voice was scruffy, as if he had smoked. Umairi gulped and nodded. The man smiled and he flipped the knife in his bony hand.

"That's awesome." Umairi went from being on edge to confused. "What do you mean?" The man sat down next to Umairi. "I've always wanted to fight on the front lines. You know, fight alongside the major guilds."

"Why is that?" This time is was Keiko who was talking. "I feel like my chances of survival would be increased. I just want to live for…" The man seemed to sadden. "I just want to see my wife and kids again."

The dangerous look of the man Umairi had had melted away. He was just like him, with a will to fight for the people he cared for. "It's a little weird though." He continued. "You guys only look to be fifteen and you're leading the charge to the next floor, while I'm here at thirty and still only on the third floor."

Umairi nodded and said "I completely understand, you may not realize it either, but most of the frontliners are fighting for someone, I'm fighting for my family, my brother, my friends." The man nodded and responded "Dakota." Umairi raised an eyebrow. "The names Dakota."

Umairi smiled and said "Mines Umairi." Dakota raised his hand and pointed to the fat man in the corner. "That's Garland, he's a usual here too. Just like me, he's fighting someone, for his grandmother. She was sick when he entered this screwed death game."

Before Umairi could respond though, the AI came with their meals and set them down. "That'll be one hundred col." Umairi paid the required funds. "I'll leave you two to your meals." He got up and went to return to his spot in the corner of the room. "Hey, Dakota." Umairi turned to Keiko to see what she had to see. "You'll make it to the front lines, I can tell." Dakota grinned and responded "Thank you." Before sitting back in his corner.

Umairi and Keiko began to eat their meals and talked about this and that, the morning sun began to shine through the windows five minutes into their conversation.

"So I've been thinking," Keiko began "that this Zdus guy, can maybe, join us." Umairi stopped eating. "Really?" "Under one condition." Keiko raised one of her hands which had one finger raised. "You must pay attention to me and he can not stay in the same inn as us."

"Are you jealous?" Umairi asked, the puzzle coming together, he figured out why Keiko didn't like Zdus. Keiko became flustered and began "I'm not-" "You think that if I get friend, I'll pay attention to you less." Keiko didn't move for a few seconds, before she slowly nodded. Umairi laughed, he couldn't help it. The Garland guy stirred in the corner.

"Why would you think that?" He asked. "Well...I…" Keiko's voice was quiet as she squeaked. "Keiko, you'll always be important to me." He smiled and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "But I can have friends too." He brought his hand back to himself and looked out of one of the windows.

"The sun's up, I think it's time we head out." Keiko nodded and two rose from the bar. Umairi waved at Dakota who smiled at them and waved back as they left. Once outside, Umairi opened his menu and messaged Zdus.

 _Meet us outside of the same_

 _Restaurant we met at yesterday._

 _Keiko has decided that you can help_

 _us._

So Umairi and Keiko waited outside of the restaurant, until Umairi finally got a response.

 _Just woke up, sure, on my way._

 _Give me like five though to get_

 _dressed and such._

Umairi didn't bother to respond and relayed the information to Keiko. She nodded and didn't say anything more about it.

It took Zdus almost ten minutes to finally appear walking down the street. He looked tired and his shoulders were hunched. "Why are you guys heading out so early?" By this point, it was six in the morning, which was Umairi's normal waking time. "This is usually the time I'm up." Umairi stated.

Zdus looked at him in horror. "You wake up at five?" Umairi rubbed the back of his head and chuckled. "Well, usually six, but Keiko here decided to wake me up at five." Keiko didn't say anything. "What time do you usually wake up then if this is strange to you?" Umairi asked.

"Well, I don't usually wake up till one or two in the afternoon."

This time, Umairi was in shock. "How do you get anything done?" Zdus shrugged and said "I usually don't" Umairi made an 'Ahh' sound as if he understood.

"That probably would explain the bags under your eyes." Umairi pointed out. "Hey, I look good no matter what." The two shared a laugh before Umairi said "Let's get going."

The group of three made their way into the dense forest of the third floor, Zdus and Umairi talked about this and that the entire way. It was scary how much they had in common, they both liked the same games, same shows, and same things.

Once they had reached the point they diverged into the fog, Umairi said "Take out your sword and no more talking." Zdus followed half of the order.

As the three walked single file in the dense fog, Zdus frequently would try to strike up conversation, which Umairi had to shush him multiple times.

They were only attacked four times, three of the four times Zdus handled the monster no problem. Umairi soon realized how much talent Zdus had when it came to combat.

Umairi was the first to enter the clearing in the fog, the dragon stood at guard, its eyes gleaming down on Umairi. Once all of three of them were side by side, facing the dragon, Umairi quickly went over with Zdus their fighting style.  
Zdus soon concluded that "Your fighting style is similar to mine, but with more people." Umairi nodded. "I'll also like you guys to keep in mind that I've never fought in a group before so I apologize if I cause you problems." Umairi felt that wouldn't be a problem, but he could always be wrong.

* * *

Umairi dove sideways as the dragon's tail slammed on the ground to his left, missing him by a hair. Umairi rolled and jumped back up. "Zdus! Switch!" Umairi could tell Zdus was new to the switching, so he tried not use it with him very often, but he was forced to now.

He watched as Zdus sprinted in and released a red sword skill along the side of the dragon's body. He disappeared behind the body of the dragon, only to reappear again doing the same attack. Zdus was only a blur as he attacked.

Once he felt he was recovered, Umairi cried switch at Zdus, but he didn't show any sign of stopping the attack. Umairi cursed and ran into the fight, hoping his presence would force Zdus out. It only partially worked.

Zdus ran head first into Umairi, causing both of the players to lose control and crash land. Umairi propped himself up, attempting to rise, but he was forced to roll away as the head of a dragon snapped at where he used to be.

Umairi finally found his chance to get up. He jumped up and sprinted away, he looked to his right and saw Zdus had gotten away as well. Umairi soon turned and saw Keiko had run in and was busy keeping it distracted.

While that went on, Umairi stormed over to Zdus. "What was that?" He cried. "I told you to switch." Zdus smiled sheepishly and responded. "Sorry, I just got caught up…" "No sorrys." Umairi cut off. "Just don't do it again." Zdus nodded.

Umairi turned and called to Keiko. "Switch!" She fell back obediently and Umairi ran in too finish off the dragon's last health bar. After a few attacks, counter attacks, and dodges, Umairi brought his sword down for the final blow, the dragon bursting into an explosion of blue pixels.

Umairi cheerfully sheathed his sword, trying to ignore Zdus's slip up, and smiled. That was their third one down, only two to go. He turned to see Keiko running towards him. She smiled and said "Good job, Uma!" Umairi waved his hand modestly and said "Ah, it was nothing."  
Umairi looked to Zdus. "You did pretty good yourself." Zdus shrugged. "That's three, we only have two more rubies to get." Umairi cheerfully told Keiko. "I can't wait to get this over with." Keiko concluded.

The group of three left the clearing and made their way back to main town on third floor. Once they had reached the entrance, Umairi turned to Zdus and said "This is where we part. Meet us at the same place tomorrow at seven in the morning."

Zdus looked horrified. "Seven?!" Umairi nodded. "If you're not there five minutes after seven, we're leaving without you." Zdus seemed down now. "Why must you do this." "If you're too help, you might as well follow our rules." Zdus clutched his chest as if he had been struck. "So cold too."

Umairi tried his best to hold in his laugh and said farewell to Zdus. Once he was gone, Keiko looked at him urgently and said "Are you sure we can trust him?" Umairi looked at the girl confused and asked "Why do you say that?"

Keiko took a few seconds to answer, her eyes full of worry. "It was obvious he didn't listen when you told him to switch, and he also ignored you when you said no more talking." Umairi wasn't really worried about that. "I'm sure he won't make the same mistakes." But Umairi didn't feel so convinced.

Keiko didn't seem so convinced either. "Don't fret over it, he'll learn." Keiko looked at Umairi suspiciously before looking away.

Once they had arrived at their inn, the two went to their rooms. Umairi quickly unequipped his gear and dropped into the bed. Though as he prepared to let sleep overtake him, Umairi began to think about Keiko's words.

"Ahh, Zdus is a cool guy. I'm sure we'll get things figured out." Umairi soon concluded to himself, but not so sure if he was right, before the darkness of sleep overtook him.

* * *

 _March 6th, 2023_

 _Floor 3_

Umairi had his first dream in a while. It wasn't one one of those _you have have a special destiny_ dreams that he'd seen used in books and shows before. It had started out in what he thought was the real world.

Umairi was laying back, he felt his hands intertwined with something. Looking to his left, he saw a beautiful person with golden hair and green eyes. He soon realized that they were in some kind of private park. The afternoon light shone bright through the tree branches.

The person said something, which Umairi soon was overcome with a feeling of joy. Before he knew it, the figure and him had their faces connected. One thing led to another and bam, Umairi was about to do it.

The dream soon shifted though, he was sitting at some kind of table. He wasn't able to make out the surroundings very clearly, but for some reason, he felt extremely depressed. Before he knew it, he was crying, though he didn't understand why. It was if he had lost something very important.

The dream soon faded away to Umairi falling face first out of bed. Groaning, he soon realized he had rolled off the big mess of cloth. Umairi soon concluded he had been having a dream, but when he recalled it, the details were fuzzy and and what he did remember made his face turn red.

The details were soon slipping away, so Umairi, besides his embarrassment, repeated what he remembered in hopes of not forgetting it.

Looking out of the window, he realized that it was still early morning. The sun had just begun to rise. Umairi cursed to himself, it was too late to go back to bed again. He rubbed his eyes before laying back into his bed.

After doing nothing for five minutes he got back and opened his menu and slowly equipped his armor. He had no reason to rush. Umairi cried out in surprise when he heard knocking on his door.

"Yeah?" Umairi asked. "Are you up?" Umairi recognized Keiko's voice. "Yeah, I woke up about ten minutes ago." Umairi closed his menu and opened the door for the girl. "Do you think we should head out so early?" Umairi asked the girl.

"Yeah, we should go wait somewhere." Keiko responded. Umairi didn't understand why, but there was an awkwardness between them that even he had a hard time to overcome.

The two left the inn and walked down the mostly empty streets of the third floor.

Umairi spotted the bar they had been yesterday and pointed it out to Keiko. "Do you want to go there again?" Keiko didn't look at him but said "S-Sure." Umairi needed to see what was up with her.

Once they were inside, the fat man from before Garland was in his spot from last time but he was awake and eating a small breakfast. Umairi took the seat he had been in yesterday, Keiko doing the same, and they both asked for water. Umairi looked around and saw Dakota wasn't there.

Once they both had their drinks, Keiko and Umairi both sipped them uncomfortably next to each other. The awkwardness was killing him. He took a deep breath and gathered the courage to confront the girl.

"Keiko, is everything okay?" Umairi asked as calmly as possible. She looked at him and the two made eye contact before Keiko's face flushed and she turned away. "Y-Yeah, it is." Umairi wasn't convinced. "Keiko, something's up, you can tell me."

Keiko took a deep breath and said quietly "Do you promise not to laugh?" Umairi nodded. "Of course I do." Keiko continued quietly "I had a dream, though it wasn't any kind of dream. You were there and things led to another before we…" Her face was bright red as she sunk down.

Besides himself, Umairi started to flush as well. "Hey, you don't need to be so embarrassed," Umairi hesitated briefly, was it wise to tell her? "I-I had a dream like that too, and you were in it..." Besides her bright red face, Keiko giggled. "Hey, I promised not to laugh, why do you get too?" Umairi stated.

Before he knew it, the two were laughing. "Y-You know I wouldn't…" Keiko quickly cut herself off. "I'm sorry for saying something so perverted!" She cried out, causing Garland to look in her direction.

"Hey, are you the guys Dakota was talking about?" A male voice asked. Umairi turned to see it was the Garland guy. "I think so…" Garland chuckled. "That's probably why he's grinding right now." This time, Keiko responded. "What do you mean?"

"After he told me about you guys, he left to go grinding. He said you guys said he could make it to the frontlines." Umairi didn't know how to respond, so Keiko did. "Good for him, tell him we said good luck." Garland nodded before returning to his meal.

* * *

Keiko and Umairi stood outside of the bar, waiting for Zdus. The awkwardness around them seemed to have died, which pleased Umairi. It didn't take long for the European to come into view.

Once the group of three were together, Umairi began their walk into the dense woods. Once they had broken the fog and into the clearing of the dragon, Umairi smiled to himself. After this, they only had one more day left. He quickly went over the plan with Keiko and Zdus. Once ready, the group of three split apart and charged in.

* * *

Umairi swung downwards, taking a chunk of the dragon's health. Umairi quickly side stepped in order to avoid the dragons swipe before he swung the sword up in a vertical skill. He jumped back and cried switch at Keiko, who quickly ran in and continued what Umairi had been doing.

Before long, Keiko jumped back and ordered Umairi to switch. Umairi ignored Zdus's cry of annoyance and he sprinted into the battle.

Umairi picked the sword up and sliced at the dragons forearm with a horizontal before stepping right and cutting at its open wing. The dragon roared in protest and it picked its head up for a strike. Umairi prepared to sidestep the attack.

The dragon brought its head down lightning fast and Umairi stepped right, but he didn't step far enough. Once the dragon's head was a meter away from him, Umairi panicked. He instinctively released a skill in hopes of hitting its head away.

Umairi soon saw his own blade coming in at a slight angle compared to the ground. With the sound of glass shattering, Umairi's sword broke in his grasp as it made contact with the side of the dragon's scaled head. The force of his sword still continued though and the dragon roared as its face was pushed into the ground.

Umairi sprinted away and he pointed at Zdus. "Switch!" The Lithuanian nodded and ran in past Umairi. He slid to a stop next to Keiko and opened his menu. Umairi soon had a new sword in his hand.

"Keiko, go switch with Zdus." Umairi soon ordered when he saw the dragon was on low health. Keiko nodded and she sprinted into the battle. Umairi was pleased to see Zdus jump out when Keiko ordered him to switch, if not hesitantly.

Zdus slid to a stop next to Umairi. "Man, fighting is such a rush." Umairi nodded but didn't pay much attention to him. "Really gets you going." Umairi sprinted in when he saw Keiko call switch at him.

The dragon wasn't hard to finish off. A few hits here, a slash at its neck there. Umairi sheathed his sword and grinned. One more dragon to go after this. "Yay!" Keiko cried as she wrapped her arms around Umairi. She quickly let go of him and kissed Umairi on the cheek, which lightened his mood even more.

"We're almost done here, the rest of the quest should be easy. Now let's head back." Umairi soon led the walk back to the town.

Umairi smiled at the sight of the town. Once they were in, Zdus left, leaving Umairi and Keiko alone. "How about after we get the last ruby, we take a break and go on a date or something." Keiko beamed at Umairi. "Of course!" Umairi smiled and he patted the girl on the head.

"We need to get this final ruby though. Let's head back to the inn and get some rest." Keiko nodded, a grin still on her face.

* * *

 _March 7th, 2023_

 _Floor 3_

Umairi stood outside of the bar with Keiko, the two not talking but enjoying each other's presence. This was it. This was the day they finished the hard part of this blasted quest. Zdus was soon spotted and the three made their way into the forest.

Their way through the fog wasn't so bad, they only got attack twice and each time Umairi was able to fend off the attackers. Once they were in the clearing, Umairi went over the same battle plan. "Same thing as yesterday. You guys know the drill."

Umairi slowly walked towards the dragon, his sword at the ready. Neither of the creatures attacked each other, waiting to see who would make the first move.

The dragon was it. It roared defiantly at Umairi, as if it were denying him the last ruby. Umairi wasn't having it. He broke out into a sprint and pulled his sword back for an attack.

* * *

Umairi spun past Keiko as she sprinted in. He slid to a stop and watched Keiko, preparing to dive to her aid in an emergency.

The dragon's health was half way down, Umairi happily sighed. This was almost done. Keiko called in Zdus to switch, which he did promptly. Before he knew it, it was his turn to switch in. Umairi sprinted in and glanced at the dragon's health, it only had a quarter left.

Umairi pulled back his sword and brought it down with a sword skill. The dragon did its best to counter attack Umairi, but it was too large and Umairi was too fast. With one more strike, Umairi cut along the dragon's gut, bringing its health to zero.

With the sound of glass being broken, Umairi's hair rustled as the blue pixels flew over where. He had done it, it was done. Umairi took a deep breath, before shooting his fist into the air and crying out in joy.

Umairi stumbled back as Keiko sprinted and embraced him in a massive hug. Umairi cried out in joy as he hugged the girl back. Umairi let go of the girl and he turned to Zdus. "Thanks a lot for the help." He extended a hand to the European. Zdus took it and the two shook.

"But, I did some thinking." Umairi began. "I feel like Keiko and I will do better by ourselves." Zdus looked confused. "What do you mean." Umairi hated to say this. But he did what had to be done. "We can handle the rest by ourselves. Thanks for your help on the quest."

"So you're kicking me out of the group." To be honest, this hurt Umairi, but what Keiko had said had left an effect, and besides, Umairi found that Zdus was a better friend than a combat partner. "I just don't want to be in a large group." Zdus was at a lost of words, so Umairi turned, took Keiko's hand, and led her out of the forest.

"What was that about?" Keiko soon asked when they broke through the fog. "I did some thinking on what you said. And I'd rather just spend time with you." Keiko flushed before smiling. "You're the greatest, Uma." Umairi smiled and responded "So are you."

Now that that was done, Umairi felt it was time to finish this quest!

 **A/N And I am done with the longest chapter yet. 8,000 words. I can promise I will not write anything this long again, it was too much for me. So after not uploading for almost month, this is all you guys get. I would'very maybe had this out earlier, but I had some things go on in my family, aka my parents know 0 privacy and need to stop going through my stuff. But anyways, please follow and favorite this shit, become a Desu today. *Theme song plays aka Panzerkampf by Sabaton***


	61. Chapter 58

_**Chapter 58- Midnight Calling**_

 _Now that that was done, Umairi felt it was time to finish this quest!_

 **15,000 views**

* * *

 _March 7th, 2023_

 _Floor 3_

Umairi didn't even bother to push himself back off the floor of his inn. He'd only gotten about four hours asleep so he felt horrible. "Oi, Uma, get up." Keiko complained as she hovered over him.

Umairi groaned, but besides that, made no effort to get up. It was so early in the morning. "Let me sleep…" He complained as he slipped back into his mind. The date he had yesterday with Keiko had left him drained.

He soon felt himself being picked up until he was sitting up on the floor. "Fine, I'll get up." Umairi gave in with a yawn. Keiko smiled as she put her hands on her hips. "Good, I'll be waiting."

She left his room. Umairi blinked a few times and rose up from the floor and went to work putting on his armor.

Once he was armed and armored, Umairi walked out of his room to spot Keiko with her menu open.

When she saw him exit, she promptly closed it. "Alright, are ready to go?" Keiko nodded. The two left the inn and entered the mostly empty street. As the two walked to the teleportation gates, Umairi began to explain to Keiko what the plan was. "Okay, we got the rubies, now we need the rock things and leather from the oxen." Umairi paused. "I think we should go to oxen first, that way we can make our way up from there."

"I'm okay with that idea." Keiko shrugged. "Though, does it say how much we need?" Umairi thought for a second and quickly checked the quest requirements. "It doesn't say, but I'm guessing maybe one or two kills should be enough."

"Fair enough." The two soon reached the Teleportation Gates, and before they knew it, the sprawling grasslands of the second floor were before them.

Umairi walked forward and stretched. "It's nice to be back!" The sun of the early morning painted everything a deeper orange, but it didn't hurt his eyes. Umairi began to walk through the crowded areas of the second floor, Keiko behind him.

It didn't take long for the two to get to the exit of town. Before Umairi, the sprawling grass fields of the floor waved slightly. This place brought memories.

Umairi turned to Keiko. "When we went to to this floor, I had just gotten this armor." Umairi patted his chest plate. Umairi took one more breath before walking into the thigh high grass with Keiko.

It only took them five minutes to find a herd. The group of brown oxen grazed lazily, their dull horns standing out from their brown bodies. Umairi spotted the straggler of the group almost immediately. Umairi looked at Keiko and pointed to the lagger.

Keiko seemed to receive his message and she nodded. The two began to crawl towards the ox. The lagger didn't seem to notice the two as they neared. Before Umairi knew it, he was a mere meter away from the creature.

Umairi took a deep breath and prepared to strike. "On the count of three, jump and attack." Umairi whispered to Keiko before he started to count down on his fingers. When the last finger fell, the two jumped forward, sword skills trailing behind them. Umairi released his along the side of the ox, Keiko's strike further to his left.

The ox wasn't even able to make a noise before it burst into a shower of blue pixels. Umairi heaved a sigh and sheathed his sword. "Nice." He nodded with approval. The window that showed what drops they received. Both Umairi and Keiko leaned over to see.

"That's one down, how ever many more to go." Umairi turned to the rest of the herd, which seemed to be oblivious of their comrade's death. Umairi quickly scanned the herd and immediately spotted their next target.

The two soon were once again a meter within an ox. Umairi whispered the same thing to Keiko and he began to count down on his fingers, but before his final finger could fall, a cry of pain came to his left. At first he thought it was Keiko, than he realized, it was one of the ox. He squinted at it and spotted a little metal rod sticking out of its neck.

Soon another rod joined it. The ox fell over and shattered into a fog of blue. The other oxen didn't miss that one's death. With a cry of alarm one ox kicked the ground and started to run around in circle, causing others to panic.

It took Umairi a few seconds to realize what was about to happen. "Keiko, run!" Umairi immediately stumbled over his legs as he broke off into a panicked sprint. Keiko also grasped what was coming and was quick to join him.

Before he knew it, Umairi was running as fast as he could, Keiko next to him. She wasn't as panicked as him, for she could outrun the creatures with ease. Umairi couldn't. "God damn it!" Umairi cried as he stumbled.

"Hey, I'd like to apologize there. I didn't realize you guys were there." Umairi almost fell over. He turned to his left too see another runner with them. "Who the hell are you!" Umairi yelled, looking at the new arrival, while also glimpsing the horde of angry moos behind them.

Umairi quickly scanned the new arrival. She, for they were a female, was quite tall, about half a head shorter than him. "What was that for! You could've got us killed!" Umairi turned to his right to see Keiko yelling at the new arrival.

"What? I was just grinding!" The female yelled back. "Ladies, calm down! We're not exactly in the best position to argue!"

"You stay outta this!" The female retorted back before the woman went back to arguing with Keiko. Umairi didn't pay attention to them, he was busy looking for their target.

As he rounded a hill, he spotted it. The town.

Umairi dared to interrupt the two. "Guy's! The town, run for it!" Umairi began to see startled players jump out of their way as the group ran. The unknown female pulled ahead at an astounding rate.

Umairi glanced behind him and was glad to see the oxen were slowing down. As Umairi finally reached the safe zone of the town, the stampede of oxen slowed to a halt, before turning around and slowly grazing away from the town.

Umairi collapsed to the ground where he rested. He looked around and spotted Keiko and the unknown arrival arguing. Umairi sighed and he pulled himself off the ground. He walked over to the two and began to hear what they were yelling about.

"-was reckless! You could've got us killed!" Keiko yelled. Now that Umairi was close to the new arrival. She wasn't anywhere near teenager young, maybe in her late twenties. She wore all black with a brown green cloak over her shoulders. Her hair was pinned up in the back and she gave off a sort of 'Rebellious mother' vibe.

"Well how I was I supposed to know you two were there." She answered back smoothly, which seem to anger Keiko even more. Umairi stepped to Keiko's side and put a hand on her shoulder. "Keiko, it's fine. No one was killed." Keiko shook off his hand. "You should listen to your friend there." The woman added on. Keiko's nostrils flared as she raised a finger to continue the argument.

Umairi placed his hand on her shoulder again, but this time gripped onto it hard. "Keiko, we're fine." Keiko took a shaky breath then sighed. "Fine."

The female sighed to herself and straightened herself. "The names Mayuko, but just call me May." Umairi stepped forward and extended a hand. "Names Umairi, though you can just call me Uma." May took his hand and shook. "Interesting name, who's Mrs. Hothead over there." Umairi was about to respond, but Keiko did instead. "Keiko."

May shrugged. "If it helps you guys feel any better, I'll treat you out to eat. I really am sorry." Umairi nodded and grinned slightly. "I'm up for free food." Umairi turned to Keiko. "There is no way I am going with her." Keiko spat. "Suite yourself." Umairi shrugged.

May turned and began to walk down the street, Umairi following. "What are you going to do about your lady friend? She doesn't seem to like me." May asked as they were about to round the corner. "Just wait." Umairi responded. A few moments later, he heard mumbling next to him as Keiko walked down the street, her arms crossed, next to him.

* * *

 _March 7th, 2023_

 _Floor 2_

"You guys have it easy, so young a future to look forward too." May took another drink from her glass. "Why don't though have any alcohol in this blasted game." She slammed her fist on the table.

"Probably because of people like us." Umairi responded. She took another swig and pointed to him, cup still in hand. "You make a fair point." Umairi took a drink from his cup, taking the chance to glance at Keiko, who was staring angrily out of the window.

"I don't know what's up with your lady friend there, if it's her time of month or what, but she needs to chill out." Umairi saw Keiko take a deep breath and ignore the statement.

"So anyway May, why were you killing an ox, in the middle of a herd. Isn't that kind of a bad idea?" Umairi brought up, trying to take the conversation away from Keiko. "I was just doing some grinding, that kind of thing." She took another swig. "You?"

Umair shrugged. "We were on a quest. Gotta get some Oxen fur" "Cool." She took another drink. The group of three sat in silence. "Are you not going to ask me why me, an attractive twenty four year old, is doing in a game like this?" Umairi was slightly taken aback by the question.

"Why?" He asked, more confused than perplexed. "Good question." She took another drink. "Here I was, working at a deadbeat job, for a deadbeat boyfriend, living in an apartment that probably doesn't meet government standards. That's when I hear about this fantastic reality escaper called the fancy 'Nerve Gear'. You know I bought that shit almost the minute it came out."

"I came here to eat, not hear about your backstory." Keiko snapped in out of nowhere. May raised both her hands and shrugged. "Sorry, I was just trying to create some conversation."

Now that he had time to ponder it, Umairi was finding himself feeling awkward talking towards May. She was attractive, in a mature way, and him being a guy in his prime. It was difficult to stay calm.

"Hey, what are you staring at?" May pointed at him, he hadn't realized that he was in thought, looking at her. "I know I'm good looking, but I'm not that desperate. I mean you're what, seventeen, eighteen?" She paused for second and said under her breath "I actually am that desperate…" Umairi ignored her.

"I'm fifteen." He corrected. "Wait, you're only fifteen?" She asked in awe. "You look so… old." Umairi sighed. "Way to help myself esteem." She looked him up and down. "Though I can see it. You're like what, a hundred and eighty centimeters tall, and fifty five kilos."

Umairi corrected her again. "I'm actually one seventy five and sixty five kilos." She whistled. "Wow you're fat." Umairi ignored the statement, though he couldn't get himself mad at her.

"Well, I think we should get going." Umairi said as he set the cup down on the table. Keiko rose without argument. "Well it was nice to meet you, May, but we better get going. Got that quest things too do." She nodded. "It was nice to meet you guys. Especially your lady friend there." Umairi exited the table with Keiko and walked towards the exit.

Right before he left though, a notification popped up into his field of vision.

It was a friend request, from May. He turned to the table, where she winked at him, causing his cheeks to flush slightly. He turned away and accepted it.

Almost instantly, she messaged him.

 _I know you're lady friend_

 _isn't fond of me, but if you_

 _ever want to go out and get_

 _something to eat and talk,_

 _I'm up for it._

Umairi closed the message and walked out, trying not to grin to himself.

* * *

 _March 7th, 2023_

 _Floor 2_

Umairi nodded as Keiko paced back and forth in his room at the inn. "-her audacity to call me _your_ lady friend!" She grunted in anger. "She infuriates me!"

Umairi sighed. "Keiko, calm down. She's not so bad." "She almost got us killed!"

"It was an accident, she wasn't aware we were their." Umairi assured. Keiko continued ranting on. "I hate her!" Keiko soon concluded. "I like her." Umairi responded back. Keiko turned to him angrily. "Don't tell me you you're starting to like her!"

"No, no, no, why would you think that." Umairi asked. "I watched you two converse. I saw you staring at her bust." Umairi stayed cool and responded "Keiko, your's is the only one I need. Now head to bed." Her face lit up slightly as she left his room.

Umairi fell back onto his bed and closed his eyes. "The second day of just us is already accompanied by someone new." Umairi decided to not to dwell on it and undressed himself. Once comfortable, he began to let the tugging of sleep take his mind.

 _Ping_

Umairi opened an eye. A message? He raised his hand and clicked. From May?

 _Hey, I'm kinda in a sticky_

 _situation. I'd really_

 _appreciate some help. I'm_

 _on the second floor._

Umairi didn't react.

 _First off, how and why?_

 _Second, why are you_

 _Out this late, third, it's the_

 _Middle of the night!_

 _For being so much_

' _older' , you certainly aren't_

 _Much smarter._

He quickly got up and armored up again. Opening his menu, he opened the his friends list and saw that May was somewhere in the middle of this floor. He sighed and crept out into the hall of the inn. It was dim and sound of night was faint inside. The sound of crickets and a light breeze.

He tiptoed out of the hall and out of the inn. The night street was completely empty. He quickly opened his menu and made his way to May. He only glanced up occasionally to see where he was in town.

Once he had left the safety of the town, he took off in a sprint, ignoring any creatures that threatened him, and only looking up to watch the ground he ran on. Before he knew it, he had reached her position. He slowed to a stop in a open field of tall brown grass. The night sky was pitch black, the only light came from the stars. He looked around and didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

He kept walking until he was supposedly above May's position, but no one was there.

He looked around, confused. It wasn't until he felt his weight collapse on himself that he realized where she was. Before he could cry out in shock, a hand went over his mouth. He panicked and immediately attempted to fight it.

It took his eyes some time to realize that May was right next to him, shushing him. He began to panic again, though because she was way too close to him.

May took her hand away from his mouth. Umairi took a few seconds to catch his breath. "What was that about." He whispered loudly. "Why did you get me at this hour." May put a finger to her mouth.

"Follow me, I want to show you something." She whispered back and started to crawl ahead. Umairi followed. As the two crawled, Umairi almost ran into May when she stopped. "There it is." She stated.

Umairi squinted ahead and saw nothing but grass. "What am I supposed to be seeing?" He asked confused. "Look down." She pointed. Umairi shifted his gaze downward.

Before him was a small fissure in the ground, only about wide enough to fit his shoulders. "What is that?" Umairi asked confused. May shrugged. "I don't know, wanna explore it?" Umairi was uncertain.

"Why? Let's just come back when it's day." May groaned. "But your lady friend will be with you, and she's a bummer, and besides, you're the cool one." He shrugged in reluctant agreement.

"And if it makes you feel better, I'll go in first." May stated. Umairi, still unsure about this, sighed. "Fine, I'll go." May smiled and nodded. She stood and began to maneuver her legs into the fissure, placing her hands on the surrounding ground to allow her to gently lower herself. She had to take special care so her bust didn't hit the ground, which Umairi looked away for.

With a her lower body in, May let go of the leverage and dropped. A second later, a thud came from the hole.

Umairi hurriedly crawled to the hole and whispered loudly into it. "Are you okay?" May respond almost immediately. "Yeah, now it's your turn to come in. There's a ledge near it so try to aim for that." Umairi nodded and he slid his legs into the hole. Putting his hands on the ledges, he slowly lowered himself.

Once he was at chest level, he inverted his grip and lowered himself all the way. With one final breath, he let go and dropped.

 **A/N Oh baby we are back! S &S has made a return, and an amazing one at that! I'm glad for all of you guys who waited for this story's return. School will be ending for me in a week, so you can expect me to **_**try**_ **and put more effort into writing.**

 **Please follow and favorite this shit, become a Desu today *Theme song plays aka Endless Night by Sabaton***


	62. Chapter 59

_**Chapter 59- The Calling**_

 _Once he was at chest level, he inverted his grip and lowered himself all the way. With one final breath, he let go and dropped._

* * *

 _March 7th, 2023_

 _Floor 2_

Umairi collapsed almost immediately when his feet hit the cliff. Smooth landing. "Hey, you okay?" May asked him as she leaned over. "Yeah, I'm fine. My ankle gave out." He responded, hoping it was dim enough so she didn't see his embarrassment. Umairi rose from his place on the floor and looked around the massive chamber.

"It didn't look this big from above ground." He heard May whisper under her breath. "So what do we do now?" Umairi asked as he let his eyes focus in the very small lighting they had. He couldn't explain it, but the whole place kinda _glowed_ so you could actually see. Kinda like firelight everywhere.  
"We go down." He heard for a response as he saw May drop off the side of the cliff. Umairi panicked and ran to the cliff and looked over. "What are you doing." Umairi called down to May, who was slowly climbing down the rock face into the darkness below.

As soon as Umairi looked past May though, he immediately felt like throwing up and backed away from the edge. "Oi! Uma, are you coming?" He heard from past the cliff edge as a head peaked over the side. Umairi took a shaky breath and made his way to the cliff.

He didn't want to admit it, but Umairi was afraid of heights. He could never explain why though. Whenever he went high up on a swing, climbed to the top of a playset, he'd panic. Once, while he was climbing up the side of a cliff with friends, he panicked half way up and became stuck on the cliff. The only reason he was fine with jumping in was because he couldn't see anything in the fissure hole. He was okay with being near a cliff, but the thought of climbing one made him want to puke.

"Uma!" Umairi jumped as a head appeared over the cliff line. "What are you doing! Come on!" He gulped. "Y-yeah, I'm coming." Umairi carefully went over to the cliff and began to lower himself. Almost immediately he panicked and pulled himself back up. "Uma, what's wrong?" May asked him, a look of confusion on her face. "Wait, don't tell me you're... " She grinned. "You're afraid of heights!" Umairi looked at her.

"Yeah, and?" May smiled and she signaled him to come to her. Uma did so. "How about this, you climb down next to me, if you get the urge to look down, just look at me." Umairi still wasn't so sure.

May, seeing that he probably needed more incentive, then continued. "If you do so, I'll kiss you."

* * *

 _March 7th, 2023_

 _Floor 2_

Umairi tentatively lowered himself to the next foothold. The only thing stopping him from falling, was May who kept encouraging him. "Come on, you got this, remember what happens if you get there." That sort of thing.

He was on the verge of a panic attack. Umairi looked over at May, who was lowering herself slowly with him. He could do this. Umairi took a deep breath and lowered himself a little more. "Good job Uma, you're halfway there!" He only nodded in response.

Umairi kept climbing, down and down he went for what felt like hours, until May finally said "There's a gap here, you need to swing yourself in or you won't make it. Umairi nodded and he watched May drop so that her feet and body hung free in front of the gap.

She swung her legs back and forth and launched herself. "Your turn Uma! Don't worry, I'll catch you!"

He lowered himself until he was hanging too. He began to swing his legs and after the third swing, he closed his eyes and let go. Almost immediately, he felt May catch him. Umairi opened his eyes and saw that she caught him like one would hold up a baby.

She set him down and instantly he collapsed. Umairi tried his best to not shake while he let his breath return. "You okay?" She asked him. "Yeah." Umairi responded with a shaky breath. He turned to face May and was shocked as he felt her lips touch his forehead. "Good job."

Umairi nodded. "Please don't tell Keiko about that." May laughed. "You got it." Umairi took one more breath and got up from the floor.

He turned around and was surprised to see a door in the rock face. "Is this what you were looking for?" Umairi asked. "No, I don't know what I was looking for." Umairi chuckled. May walked to the door and slowly opened it.

Umairi peaked in, it was a hallway. "It's just a… hallway." May concluded. "I could see that." Umairi stated. "If that's all, I think we better get going now." Umairi turned away, only to feel a hand grasp onto his collar. "Oh no you don't"

* * *

Umairi walked next to May down the bare hallway. "I told you there was nothing down here." Umairi declared after walking for what felt like hours. "Oh stop complaining." May ordered back, the joking obvious in her tone.

As the two walked, they had small conversations about this and that, only to pass the time. Umairi stopped though when he spotted something up ahead. It looked to be a door. As he approached the door, Umairi began to feel a tugging in the back of his head. He shook his head slightly and continued

"What do you think's behind that door?" May asked, the curiosity obvious in her voice. Umairi shrugged and continued to walk until the two stood before the door. It was made of dark wood and stood slightly taller than Umairi.

As May leaned to open the door, Umairi's head started to hurt. He put a hand to his head, but ignored the pain.

May grasped the handle and turned. The pain soon flared and Umairi felt his body collapse. His vision began to tunnel and Umairi started to panic. Then his world turned to darkness.

Almost immediately, the pain faded away, but he was still panicking. His mind was alert and ready, but he had no other sensations.

Umairi floated in darkness for what felt like hours. After doing nothing for who know's how long, Umairi became nervous when he soon felt sensations return. He felt limbs again, he could smell, hear, and soon see.

He opened his eyes and slowly pushed himself up off the floor. He looked around. The floor looked to be a giant mirror, reflecting the sky, which was dark besides the glow of the morning sun way over the horizon. Umairi soon spotted a figure. She stood with her back to him, her head obviously pointing towards the rising sun.

Before he could say anything though, the figure spoke. "Long time no see, huh." Umairi didn't answer. Who was she?

The woman turned around to look at him. She had brown hair that fell in waves and a shield in her left hand.

It took Umairi's mind a few seconds to recognize the speaker. "Yes, it is I again, Minerva."

Umairi felt confused. It was her again. Hadn't he defeated her a long time ago? Why is she here again? Most of all, he actually didn't remember much from his confrontation with her besides the fact that he won.

"What do you want from me? Didn't I beat you before?" Umairi asked the goddess, confused. Minerva smirked for a split second before responding "Did you remember your promise?"

Umairi thought for a few seconds, trying his best to remember that day, but for some reason he couldn't

He took a deep breath and looked at the goddess. "No." Minerva sighed and slumped her shoulders. "You promised to answer my call when I called upon you." Umairi thought again. "Nope, not ringing a bell."

Minerva sighed. "Whatever, that's besides the point, the point is I need to you go do something for me." Umairi nodded and answered "What?"

Minerva smiled. "Well, Mars, the god of war, decided to-" Umairi immediately tuned her out. Minera kept monologuing for a minute, until Umairi decided to interrupt her. "Whoa now, hold up. I don't need the whole story, just what do you want me to do?" Minerva sighed. "Go to the location I tell you and knock up some heads."

Umairi smiled and gave a thumbs up. "Now that I understand." Has Umairi did this, his head began to turn. It wasn't long until his vision began to tunnel. "Good luck my young hero!" Minerva called out after Umairi had fell over and his vision turned completely black.

* * *

Umairi shot up from his spot on the cold stone floor. He quickly glanced around and saw May looking around the hall bored. She looked at him when she saw him move. "Finally! You don't know how worried I was when you collapsed out of nowhere!" May cried as she jumped off the floor.

Umairi slowly pushed himself up and began to respond. "Don't worry about that, until then, we have new quest." May looked confused. "What?"

Umairi quickly went over everything that happened, May slowly nodding her head has he went. She even laughed at the part where he interrupted Minerva's monologue.

"So we just gotta go to this place, wherever that may be, and beat up some stuff. I like that idea." May concluded by punching her fist into her other hand. "Basically. Though there is one thing I don't know yet. Where is the quest we need to do? It never popped up or anything." Umairi said half to himself.

He opened his menu and went through all his quest, most of which were small side ones and or ones he'll never do. There, at the bottom, was one he didn't recognize.

 _The Calling_

 _Defeat the current floor boss on floor_ **27**

 _The receiver of this quest has to deliver final_

 _blow._

Umairi blinked a few times."What?" May asked him confused. Umairi slowly turned to May. "Hey May, you up for fighting a floor boss?"

* * *

 _March 8th, 2023_

 _Floor 2_

Umairi walked back to the Inn by himself. The sun was slowly rising over the horizan, giving the whole landscape an orangish hue. He sighed out of exhaustion. Not only did May leave for good, he had spent all night awake and got nothing from it. How was he supposed to know May was only a level 11! Now Keiko was probably about to wake up and if he didn't get back in time, he'd be in some trouble.

Before he knew it, Umairi was in front of his inn. He opened the door and walked to his room. He was relieved to see Keiko wasn't at his door which means she was still asleep. Umairi opened his room's door and shuffled over to the bed. With a satisfied sigh of relief, Umairi fell over.

His eyelids began to slowly close, which Umairi welcomed.

"Oi! Uma! You up!" Umairi heard come from his door with the sound of knocking. Umairi silently cried to himself as he went to open the door. There, at the entrance, stood a smiling and wide awake Keiko.

"Good to see that you're ready to go!" Keiko said happily as she grabbed his hand and pulled from his room and wrapped him in a hug. Umairi was confused. "Um, Keiko?" Keiko ignored his confusion. "Let's get going." She said happily. "Wait, Keiko." She turned to face him. "Yes? Uma."

Umairi took a deep breath. "I hate to say this, but once we get my sword, we have another quest to do." Keiko's smiled turn into one of confusion.

"What do you mean?" Keiko asked. "I'll explain after we get something to eat, but until then, May will be no longer with us." Keiko's eyes flared up with joy, but it was obvious she was trying to fake being sad about the news.

So the two left the inn and went to the nearest restaurant. Though as they walked, Keiko got a message. Umairi tried not too, but looked over her shoulder for a split second to see what it was.

He could only make out the words _Thanks for the he-_ and _She apparently left._ Umairi chose not to dwell on it.

Once they were sitting down in the establishment and waiting for the food, Umairi began to tell Keiko about what had happened that night. Making sure to avoid May's kiss.

Now, Keiko didn't have that cheerful gleam in her eye, but more of annoyed gleam, though her face was still a smile. Umairi internally sighed. "Please don't get angry." He repeated to himself in his head.

But before she could state any act of anger, the waiter arrived with their breakfast meals. Umairi grabbed a fork and stabbed into his eggs. "And in conclusion, are you ready to go on another quest?" Keiko sighed. "No." Umairi smiled. "Close enough, let's eat!" He cried before ripping a chunk of egg off.

 **A/N Sorry for the late upload, school just ended for me. (More like a week ago). I had like 5 parties to go to in one week, I've gotten into CSGO, and I have some old family members come over. So basically, I'm writing the rest of this chapter at 7 in the morning after having gotten 3 hours of sleep.**

 **Guest- This is fanfiction, I can rip of anything I want to. Don't take that seriously, I was joking. The reason why was because I was having trouble writing at th poeint of that chapter and I thought it'd be funny too.**

 **Please follow and favorite this shit, become a Desu today *Theme song plays aka The Calling by The Fat Rat***


	63. Chapter 60

_**It's happened guys, 1 whole year of S &S**_

 _ **Chapter 60- A Compromise**_

 _Keiko sighed. "No." Umairi smiled. "Close enough, let's eat!" He cried before ripping a chunk of egg off._

* * *

 _March 8th, 2023_

 _Floor 2_

Keiko leaned over as if she were choking on her food. "What!" She cried. Umairi nodded. "Yep, well, it doesn't need to be by ourselves, we just need to get final blow." Keiko straightened herself. "No."

Umairi stared blankly at her. "What?" Keiko coughed and looked at him. "I am tired of doing quest upon quest, I still have unfinished business with Y-" "I know that," Umairi interrupted. "But I promised, and I don't break promises."

Keiko stared him down, a fire in her eyes. "You need to forget your pride, I don't care if you promised, you also have a commitment to me, and I say no." Umairi sighed in frustration. "Why don't you listen to me, I made a promise."

Keiko cringed as if he had insulted her. "Why don't I listen to you?!" She cried in anger, causing the few people in the area to look at them. "Keiko please, I promise after that quest we can see her and then take a week off at the twenty second floor." Umairi pleaded.

"No, I'm tired. We've been doing thing for almost two weeks straight. I want to relax with you, spend time with you." Umairi didn't want to argue that, but he promised. "Keiko, we're frontliners, it's our duty to beat the floors."

"So? I can also take a break from them." Keiko answered back. "We already are, I mean we've been stuck at these lower floors for ages, we're frontliners for-" "I don't want to be a frontliner anymore!" Keiko interrupted, shutting Umairi up.

Umairi was stunned. "What do you mean, like…" Keiko looked away from him. "I don't want to fight anymore. I'm tired, I'm exhausted, I've fought so much, for what?" Umairi felt lightheaded. "We've been fighting for our family, our friends, our-" Keiko spat. "I could care less about my useless family."

Umairi was both offended and confused. "They left me just because I was accident, my adoptive parents could care less about me, all my friends make me want to pull my hair out, well most of them." Keiko looked back at him.

"You're the only person who's even given a damn about me, that's why I want to leave the front lines, I want to live happily with you. I want to wait for this game to end so we can be together in real life, and if something were to happen to you..." Umairi gulped and took a shaky breath. "Keiko, I...I don't know."

Keiko leaned forward, putting her face mere inches from his. "Please Uma." Umairi closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Keiko…" Umairi opened his eyes. "No. I am and will continue to be a frontliner. If you choose to not help me, then you can leave." Umairi abruptly rose from the table.

"Uma, please…" Keiko pleaded, her eyes moist with tears. Umairi looked at her emotionless and responded "I am going to go grind if you need me." before turning around and leaving the restaurant.

Umairi looked around the quiet town, trying to suppress his sadness. He was extremely conflicted. Not only had Keiko just turned down everything that he stood for in the blasted game, but she did it for him.

To be completely honest, Umairi wasn't going to go grinding, he was actually planning to go sit somewhere and think. He didn't know how to react to this. On one hand, he could lay down with a beautiful girl and live a calm life, but on the other hand, he would be giving up a life of adventure. He would basically be playing SAO not for the reason it was made, but to live another life.

In short, he could choose adventure, possibly by himself soon, or a calm life with someone he loves. It was pretty obvious what any hormone driven teenage male would choose.

* * *

 _March 8th, 2023_

 _Floor 2_

Umairi stretched and yawned has he walked back towards the inn. He hadn't really done anything progressive that day, just relaxing and occasionally thinking about what Keiko said. He didn't really want to go back, but when he saw that the sun was bordering the horizon, he knew he had too.

Yawning, Umairi made the last turn and spotted his usual place of residence. He entered the inn and walked to the hall where both his and Keiko's rooms were located. He reached to grab the doorknob but stopped.

Something told him that he should clear things up with Keiko. He turned and knocked on Keiko's door. No response. Umairi could've just walked in, for both him and Keiko had keys to each other's room, they both agreed though to always knock and only use the key in emergencies.

He knocked a few more times and still no response.

"Whatever, she probably isn't back yet." Umairi turned around again and opened his room. He sighed and walked into his room, closing the door behind him. It took him a few seconds to see the figure on his bed. "Keiko, why are you on my bed only in your underwear."

Keiko, trying to act casual about it, besides the fact her entire face was red, got up and _tried_ to seductively walk over to him. "Maybe me and you can spend sometime together right now." Keiko said, her voice stuttering has she tried to seductively talk.

Umairi sighed and looked away. "Keiko, why are you trying to seduce me?" Keiko walked up to where Umairi was standing and she grasped onto his arm. "I t-thought maybe we could d-deepen our relationship." Her face was so bright that Umairi was pretty sure she was glowing.

He ignored his racing heart and continued to ask questions. "Why does this also sound like it was scripted?" Umairi closed his eyes and sighed. "Keiko, please drop the act." Keiko quickly let go of his arm and crossed her arms across her chest

"What's up with you, Keiko?" Umairi asked her. Keiko looked away embarrassed. "I thought maybe I could convince you to stay with me." Umairi wasn't convinced. "Keiko, as much as I would like to do…" He hesitated for a second. "You can't just be doing this out of nowhere." Keiko now not only was embarrassed, but she was depressed. "But she said that this would work…"

Umairi raised an eyebrow "Who did?" Keiko looked up at him. "One of my friends here, they said the best way to convince a guy to do something is with your body." Umairi shook his head. "But why would you ask that Keiko, there were better ways to do convince me."

"That wasn't the only reason though," she began. "For a while now, I've felt that I was... _losing_ you. You only really cared about the quest we did, and you treated me like I was a companion, not your…" She trailed off.

Umairi walked up to the girl and wrapped her in a hug. "Keiko, you should've said something. If I had known you felt this way, I would've done something about it." Umairi let go of the girl and she quickly opened her menu and equipped clothes.

At this moment, Umairi decided to reveal his decision to Keiko. "So...I've been thinking…" both he and Keiko said at the same moment. "You first." Umairi stated. Keiko nodded and said "I've been thinking… about what you said… I decided that I will stay with you even though you want to continue the fight."

Umairi was slightly taken back. "Well, that's exactly what I was going to talk about, I was going to say I was willing to... leave with you." This was great, they were now back at the start. Not only had their postions changed, they were now arguing about what they were just against.

So after much debate and talk, Keiko and Umairi soon created a compromise. Something they could both agree on. They would continue to fight for a few more months. When the beginning of August came, they would 'retire', in a sense, to the twenty second floor and spend the rest of SAO there together. Umairi was more or less pleased with the result.

Late into the night, Umairi bode Keiko a good night and she returned to her room. Umairi was now alone. He sighed and collapsed on his bed. It wasn't long before the tug of sleep brought him away.

* * *

 _March 9th, 2023_

 _Floor 2_

Umairi woke up to the morning sun shining on his face. He was tired, when was he not. He got up out of bed and did his usual morning routine.

It didn't take long for Umairi and Keiko to leave the inn. All though it had been awhile, they were now back on track for the sword quest. All they had to do was head to the twenty fourth floor, get those rock thingies, bring them back to the old smith guy, and Umairi would have his sword.

After that they would have to then go back to the frontlines, deliver the final blow on the floor boss, and finish that one. Then from there they would see her, and from there, they would retire from the front lines.

Umairi still wasn't completely happy about having to stop fighting on the front, but he did it for Keiko, and it isn't the worse thing he's done. The two walked to the teleportation gates and teleported to the twenty-fourth floor.

Umairi felt the strange feeling of teleporting different floors before beholding the floor. He had never seen the floor before since he had skipped it heading for the twenty fifth. Only now did he regret doing so.

The floor was basically a giant ocean dotted with dozens of islands. It was kinda like small islands one could see near Japan. Each one of those island were connected to each other by shallow thin bridges. Umairi had a hard time seeing how mobs were fought on this floor.

"Wow, this place is so pretty." Keiko sighed in amazement, and Umairi had to agree with her. The temperature wasn't to hot either, a nice warm 23 degrees Celsius. Umairi and Keiko both relaxed at the new change of environment.

"So where are these volcanoes?" Keiko turned to Umairi asked. Umairi shrugged. "I don't know, the map doesn't give way to any towering volcanoes." He looked up and did a quick three sixty. "And I don't see anything like a volcano."

Umairi and Keiko began to walk through the small but crowded town of Panareze. Before they knew it, they were sitting at a bench in what looked to be a park. "I still don't know where we would find this rock stuff." Umairi sighed as he leaned back on the bench. He was at loss.

"If I knew anything I would say something." Keiko responded back. "We need to think, did you happen to ever pay attention in science?" Keiko squinted while humming to herself. "The only time I'd ever seen anything from a volcano was when one of my friends brought me a rock from when they got back from their trip to Hawaii. I'm pretty sure I lost it somewhere."

Hawaii...why did he get a suspicion Hawaii was related to this. Umairi racked his brain on the all the information he knew about Hawaii. Then, something clicked for him. "Keiko, that's it!" Umairi had hit Eureka. "This rock thingy is related to Hawaii, and how was Hawaii formed?" He asked Keiko excitedly. It took her a few seconds to realize it too.

"Hawaii was formed by underwater volcanoes, which means the volcanoes are located under the surface!" Keiko and him said the last part in sink. "Now Keiko, we just need to find a way to go underwater."

 **A/N Sup guys! Sorry for not updating in awhile, I've been busy, a lot. I've tried writing as much as possible but I have a lot of stuff to do. To make things even better, I'm going back to camp this year again. Also, one year anniversary of S &S! **

**Guest Review One- I already did that in this chapter ;)**

 **Guest Review Two- Oh come on, it can't be that bad**

 **Please follow and favorite this shit, become a desu today *Theme song plays aka All Star by Smash Mouth***


	64. Chapter 61

_**Chapter 61- Underwater Adventure**_

 **Lesson learned, don't drink no named brand grape soda at 1 in the morning and writing, really distracts the brain.**

 _"Hawaii was formed by underwater volcanoes, which means the volcanoes are located under the surface!" Keiko and him said the last part in sink. "Now Keiko, we just need to find a way to go underwater."_

* * *

 _March 9th, 2023_

 _Floor 24_

Umairi sneered. He was getting nowhere with this. He furiously typed back his response, only barely looking over it to make sure there was no mistakes. He was sure there had to be a way. The response was almost instant.

He quickly read over the message from Argo and relayed it to Keiko. "She says that if there was a way she would've told us." Keiko furrowed her eyebrows. "Then how are we supposed to get this rock thing. There might be a cave system, ask her." Umairi nodded and turned back to his menu.

The response came a few seconds later. Umairi turned to Keiko and relayed. "She said that if we wanted to try we could go swimming because there are no caves here." Keiko looked in thought for a few seconds as she readjusted herself on the bed. "Wait, maybe she's right."

"What do you mean." Umairi was skeptical. "Caves don't have to be above water, maybe if we swam around the islands, we might find an entrance." Umairi didn't want to argue her point, but there were too many unknowns. "What if there are monsters that could attack us."

Keiko suddenly reached to her side and unsheathed her sword, letting the blade reflect in the candlelight of the room. Umairi shrugged. "Fair enough." He typed the question to Argo.

The response was slow. "Possibly, surprisingly, no one has actually tried to swim in the water on the twenty fourth floor." Umairi read aloud.

Umairi looked back down when he got another message. "Argo said that's all the info she could give, and she has to go now." Keiko nodded, but didn't really pay attention. Umairi promptly closed his menu and left Keiko to her thinking. Finally, Keiko spoke up.

"How about this, I'm pretty sure you can get in the water without consequences, but I don't think the game will let us just swim freely. So how about this…" Keiko thoroughly went over her plan with Umairi.

He sighed. "Of course it's gotta be me." Keiko seemed slightly annoyed by his statement. "Are you saying you won't do it." Umairi quickly fixed the misunderstanding. "I'll do it but if I die, that's on your conscience." Keiko sternly nodded. "I promise you won't"

"You better." He responded seriously back.

* * *

 _March 9th, 2023_

 _Floor 24_

"Are you ready?" Keiko asked nervously. Umairi nodded. It was a little weird being in nothing but thin clothes out in the open, especially near edge of the island city, but he was more worried about what he had to do. Umairi focused himself by watching the sun's reflection off the surface of the water.

"Okay, first thing first." Keiko grabbed Umairi's arm suddenly and put it in the water. She held it in place while the other hand rested on her sword.

After five minutes of nothing happening, she let go of his arm. "I think it's time for phase two." Umairi nervously nodded and he sat near the edge, sticking both feet in the water. After five minutes and nothing happening, Umairi prepared for the last step. "Grab onto my hand, I'll try to keep you near." Keiko ordered. He nodded and turning his body, he gripped onto Keiko's hand, and began to lower himself into the water.

Before his head went under, Keiko said quietly "Good luck, and please, don't die." Umairi flashed her a nervous smile. "I can't guarantee that." Umairi went completely under water, well besides his arm which held onto Keiko.

Umairi opened his eyes, which he wish he didn't. The first thing he saw was darkness. There was light, but it only went about three meters down before fading into darkness. The only sign of solid land was the island he hung off of, and even then it was only a vertical drop. Not only that but dark beings were obviously seen, at the threshold of light and dark.

Besides himself, it felt he was falling, which caused him to panic. Quickly pulling himself up, he gasped as he resurfaced.

"What happened!" Keiko asked surprised and nervous at his sudden resurfacing. "I'm fine, just is a little deep." little deep his ass. "What'd you see." Keiko asked curious. Umairi quickly went over what he had seen. "You know what, I don't think this is a good idea." Keiko stated, her face making it obvious she wasn't comfortable with it.

"It'll be fine, let's get going." Umairi dove back under. He used his other hand to grab onto the vertical rock wall and started to scale it. He could feel Keiko walking along side him has he went.

They continued this for a while, with Umairi resurfacing for air frequently.

It was only when they were twenty minutes in when they found something of interest. Umairi resurfaced with a gasp and looked to Keiko. "I found something." Her face was one of immediate curiosity. "I'm going to check it out." Umairi finished off before Keiko could say anything.

He was able to make out her yelling "Wait!" has he let go of her hand and began to sink to the dark recess in the rock.

Was it a good idea to do this? Probably not. Could he die from doing this? Possibly. Umairi began to motion with his hands downward in order to speed up the sinking process. The dark looming figures in the distance squirmed, as if they knew he was down here, which didn't seem good.

Everything was going fine so far, he was about ten meters from the recess, Umairi did a full flip and started to swim downward.

Umairi slowed for a few seconds when the sun above him seemed to stop shining where he was. It was only pure instinct that told Umairi to move. If he hadn't kicked away from the wall, he would've been impaled by a giant tentacle.

Five meters. Umairi started to frantically swim downwards. Another squirm allowed him to barely dodge another tentacle By this he was at the recess, so Umairi threw himself into it. The tentacles, enraged they couldn't get him, started to bang on the rock around him. He didn't want to stick around for this party.

Umairi wiggled himself around and started to crawl into the recess. It only took him a minute to find himself at a dead end. If he could curse right now, he would. By this point, Umairi could continue, but his brain said he needed air.

Umairi desperately felt along the edge, hoping maybe there was a hole in. Above him was only about a meter before he would hit rock. Down it is. Umairi started to push himself down, looking for anything. He needed to get to something, and soon, because his lungs were beginning to ache.

It was only when Umairi's foot gave into something that his hopes were raised. He scrabbled down just a few more meters and was greeted with a dark crevice, which his shoulder's could barely fit in too.

Umairi mentally sighed and began to climb into the hole. It didn't take long for Umairi to find the exit, it was right above him. With one final push, Umairi resurfaced. Pulling himself onto the rocky floor, he gagged and coughed trying to clear his lungs before sucking in a large amount of cold air.

Pulling himself off the ground, Umairi observed his surroundings.

"Well, this isn't what I expected." Umairi said aloud to himself. The tunnel was only about two and a half meters tall, and seemed to be like a giant hallway. One way led to a turn and the other went straight until it faded into darkness. He was really pondering whether it was good idea to not bring any sort of weapon with him.

Maybe he had something in his inventory. Umairi quickly opened his menu and looked for any sort of weapon. "Great, a dagger." He sighed to himself. The knife was old and boring, it was when he was still figuring out what he wanted to do for his class at the beginning of this game.

Umairi began to walk the way opposite of the turn. Lucky for him, the light seemed to follow wherever he walked. Has Umairi walked aimlessly, he began to ponder. Hadn't he done this before? He was sure he had ended up in a situation like this. From this, he began to conjure up weird explanations for his existence, mostly out of boredom.

The most outrageous one being where his whole experience here was being created by some teen and all the weird things that happen to him was related to the teen having some sort of power over what happens here. Umairi chuckled to himself and decided to not let himself become a philosopher.

Umairi suddenly cried out in surprise has his foot hit a rock and he tumbled over. If he could feel pain, he was sure that would've hurt more than a stubbed toe. "What? Who's there?" A voice rang out through the tunnel, echoing through it. The voice was obviously old and masculine.

He sighed, another old person. Has he continued to walk, the tunnel started to become more uniform and rectangular. Occasionally he would he see a wooden support beam and even pieces of track. This whole area, with its bluish tint, reminded Umairi of an old game that some hipsters still played. Mindcraft? Something like that. Has he walked, the only sounds he could make out was the sound of water dripping, and an eerie creaking that went on continuously.

If Umairi hadn't already been on the lookout for someone, he probably would've missed the house which had been mined onto his right side. Umairi unsheathed the dagger and approached the house. It was of a simple wooden construction, and was in relatively good shape, besides the obvious rotting plank here and there.

"Oh how nice a visitor!" Umairi jumped at the unexpected statement. He whirled to his right, where the sound originated and was surprised to see an old man sitting in a rocking chair. He slowly leaned forward and back has he rocked in the chair, which Umairi recognized to be the creaking sound he heard..

"Uh, hello." Umairi asked, not knowing what to say. "It's nice to see new faces here, especially since the last person to come here was over ten years ago." Umairi would've been unsettled but the old man's warm atmosphere, but he was reminded to much of his grandfather, and he liked his grandpa.

Umairi did an awkward smile and bowed to the old man. "Nice to meet you." The old man seemed angered by this. "What are you doing standing out there in the wet, come inside, I'll treat you to tea." He suddenly rose out of the chair and walked to the front door, only to open it and enter. "Are you coming?" He asked slightly annoyed.

"Now Umairi, you have two choices. Follow the old man into his home, or just continue on your journey." Umairi thought to himself. His right of choice was soon taken away when the old man appeared behind him and, gently, led him into the house.

Besides the musky feeling in the air, the house was clean. Umairi made the best out of the situation and sat at the table, which already had a chair pulled out for him, has if he was expecting someone.

The old man sat across from him and started to make tea with the limited amount of supplies around him. Umairi knew where this was going so he decided to just cut to the chase. "I know you're a monster of some sorts, you don't need to go through this whole thing." Umairi stated while pulling out his dagger and getting it at the ready.

The old man eyed the weapon with malice. "Are you sure you don't want a drink, and please, no weapons at the table." Umairi ignored him and stood in the same position. "When my wife get's back, she won't be happy to see a weapon here. You might want to sheath your weapon."

The old man's atmosphere was starting to change from warmness to anger and even worry. Umairi still ignored the old man and didn't budge. The old man began to plead, his eyes started to tear up, but Umairi ignored him. "It's time that I leave." Umairi stated has he rose the chair and began to walk to the door. Suddenly, Umairi lost his balance, has if someone tried to trip or push him. Umairi was fed up with this person. He urgently rose and turned to face the old man.

"Why would you shove-" He stopped. The old man was cowering in a corner, completely destroying the warm feeling he gave off. It was then that Umairi realized, that he should've listened.

The giant tentacle shattered through one of the windows, completely tearing down parts of the wall, also revealing the remains of multiple skeletons. Umairi sprinted to the door and threw his whole body at it, but it wouldn't budge. It was blocked by the tentacle.

The tip of the tentacle seemed to look at Umairi, and he was able to see that it was ready to strike. Umairi dove to the side, barely dodging the limp. He jumped up and dived behind a shattered wall has the purple appendage shot over his head and barreled into the wall.

Umairi glanced at his health and was relieved to see it at max. The tentacle tried, and in vain, to attack Umairi has he moved around the house. The whole ground shook has an angry cry rang through the tunnel. Umairi would rather not fight what ever made the noise. He dove again and rolled, stopping next to the old man.

"Old man! Is there way out of here besides the front!" Umairi asked urgently. "The room in the back left! Please get her to leave!" The old man cried. Umairi nodded and he sprinted to the back hall, barely dodging another tentacle strike. He swung his body into the last left door, breaking it down.

It was mostly made of stone, and in one of the corners was a knee high square hole. That must be it. Umairi didn't have time to think about, he dove into the hole and began to crawl into the darkness.

Time to seems to speed up when in dark cramped areas. It didn't take Umairi long to find the exit and crawl out. Umairi observed his surroundings. He was in a cavern which held a reddish hue, and it was obvious why. In the back corner of the cavern flowed a red river, he had found it.

Umairi scrambled to the river of fire. He looked around it and perfectly aligned along the shore was dark purple rock. It was igneous rock. Umairi let a cry in victory. He quickly went to work grabbing about five medium sized rocks.

After he had what he needed, Umairi looked around the cavern and was disappointed to find the only way out was the way he came in. "Well, I guess I need to backtrack." Umairi sighed to himself.

Umairi got on his stomach and began to crawl back through the hole. It didn't take long for him to get back to the other side. Umairi stealthily stood up and began to tiptoe through the destroyed house.

The old man was nowhere to be seen and the house was in ruins. Umairi walked back into the tunnel and saw it empty, and eerily silent. He began to walk back the way he came. Soon, he was at the water entrance, which Umairi grinned to himself for, it was almost over. He took one more big breath and jumped back into the hole. Cold water enveloped him, and Umairi immediately started to make his way out.

The hole soon led out to recess, where it was dark and quiet. Umairi began to wiggle himself out of the recess and back into open water. Once free, he began to swim upwards, so close. He looked up and was surprised to see that the sun was setting. Thirty meters more, Umairi began to swim a little faster. Twenty meters, he could now feel the water start to heat up. Ten meters, he could now see the shore.

Umairi's progress stopped when he saw the tip of something purple sticking out of gut, his health dropped rapidly. He instinctively unsheathed his dagger and started to hack away at the limp with any dagger skills he knew, which weren't many. Surprisingly, he didn't feel any pain from the attack, not even something slight, like a pinch.

Above him has he struggled, he spotted something break the steady surface of water. It was Keiko! She was desperately swimming downwards, her sword at the ready. When she reached him, she raised her arm and released a sword skill, cutting off the tentacle, the half in Umairi dissipated. The whole water vibrated has the creature's cried out and its amputated tentacle sunk back into the abyss. Keiki wrapped an arm around him and she began to help him swim upwards.

Umairi immediately made for the shore when he broke surface. He pulled himself onto the grassy land and stopped, that was to much adventure for one day. Umairi rolled over so he could lay on his back and laid like this until he heard a quite hick behind him.

He sat up and turned to face Keiko, who was crying. "W-why would you do that. Do you know how nervous I was!" Keiko cried as she wiped her eyes. "With the island shaking multiple times, and you not being on the map, I was nervous sick! And it didn't even say if you were alive or not!" Umairi felt bad, he didn't know what to do though about Keiko. He could try and make her happy with a joke.

"I'm sorry." Was all he could come up with. Keiko sniffled one more time and glared at Umairi. "Don't ever do that again." Umairi nodded, slightly embarrassed and sad.

"But besides this whole sad experience, " Umairi opened his menu and spawned an object in his hand. "I got the rock."

 **A/N Well, this chapter is done. I would like to apologize for not getting this chapter out earlier, I had to do outside things. I got most of the inspiration of this chapter came from my camp out though, got to canoe 50 miles on the Buffalo River in Arkansas.**

 **Please follow and favorite this shit become a desu today *Theme song plays aka A Light in the Black by Sabaton***


	65. Letter to the Reader

Dear Reader,

It is I, Banna, author of Shield and Sword. It sure has been awhile since I've updated this story. I will be quick, I most likely will not complete Shield and Sword in the near future. While I am very glad I have written this story, I just can't finish it. This has been one of my proudest accomplishments and the adventure I got to write made it for me at least seem if I was there.

I loved this story, but life is a bitch. Unable to find time to write with sports, Octathalon, Seminary, and High school, it made it impossible for me to write for longer then 5 minutes each day. Too make things worse I was halfway done with Chapter 62 when my Google account got banned, so I lost around 4000 words worth of work, and I don't want to have to rewrite all of that.

I really appreciate the people who stuck around till the end, I feel it is time to put up S&S until further notice. It sure has been fun. I might start another story I don't know yet, I hope you guys had has much fun has I did with Shield and Sword. Umairi, Keiko, Yoko, Haruto will always finish their great adventure in our minds.

Farewell to all of yall,

Banna


End file.
